The True Love Loophole
by Sigmu
Summary: What if Daring Charming wasn't Apple's true love? What if Apple's true love turned out to be one very surprised Raven Queen? Just because it's true love doesn't mean it'll be a sure thing for a true love ending. mainly: Apple/Raven, one-sided: Cerise/Raven Yuri! you have been warned!
1. The one with true love's kiss

As in the summery: this is Yuri! As in Girl X Girl! If you don't like that then why are you here?

I do not own EEH nor do I profit from this fanfiction.

The one with true love's kiss

XXX

"She should've been awake by now I swear!" Exclaimed Lizzy Hearts, making the room fall silent.

Raven, Cerise, Briar, Professor Baba Yaga, Cedar, and Daring looked up from the unconscious form of Apple White to the distressed future Queen of Hearts.

"Lizzy," Raven growled clutching her roommate's hand. "What. Did. You. Do?"

Lizzy stepped back, holding her hands up in a please-don't-kill-me gesture. Even though the former witch had sworn to never become the Evil Queen she could still be very scary when she wanted to be.

"I-I was trying to do something nice for Apple! She's been so down lately that I just wanted to make her day, so I gave her a poisoned apple to eat." The guilty girl defended.

A purple aura began to glow around Raven, her eyes flashed. "_What?_ You tried to do _what?_ What in the kingdom made you think that _poisoning_ would make anybody _happy?"_ The other occupants stepped back slightly as well and looked wearily between the two.

"W-Well its all your fault!" the girl of hearts accused, pointing accusatorily at the other. "It's because you won't accept your destiny as the Evil Queen that I had to do this! You've been nothing but nice to Apple and she has been getting so depressed because of it! You're supposed to be evil, and yet look at you! You even fed her chicken soup when she was sick two weeks ago and you didn't have the decency to poison it!"

Raven resisted the strong urge to roll her eyes; instead they narrowed to dangerous slits and the aura around her pulsed. Lizzy gulped knowing she had perhaps said too much.

"I will not harm the people I care about." Raven said her tone sounding dangerously level. She took the limp hand she grasped and held it closer to her. "Especially not Apple, not when I have to see her like…" The pale girl shuddered, blinking rapidly. "NOT like this. Never like this…"

The silence was thick as Raven took her vengeful gaze off of Lizzy and set a more heartbroken one to the unconscious girl lying in the infirmary bed.

Cerise glared in Raven's stead adding a low growl for good measure, Cedar hugged Raven's side and smiled slightly as she felt her friend relax a fraction, Briar situated herself on the other side of Raven and brushed some hair out of her BFFA's face.

Lizzy tried meeting Cerise's glare but was more preoccupied with trying to smother the feeling that she had just crossed some sort of unseen line.

Daring Charming, being perhaps the one male in the school that had at least an inkling about the ways of the confusing female, slowly took carful steps away from striking range.

Baba Yaga looked at them all, completely unimpressed. "Miss Hearts, perhaps you will want to give me that spell you used to create the poison." Her tone invited no arguments and the girl found herself producing a book titled _Fairytale Poisons_ from one of the pockets in her skirt (wonderlandian tailors were geniuses with creating those types of pockets that seemed to fit everything without leaving a bulge).

She pointed to the spell she used. "It said that there was an antidote! I was planning on waking her up a few hours after and saying that Raven poisoned her, but didn't want to make a big fuss over it or have anyone else know. So that Apple would be in a good mood and keep quiet about it because she would think that that's what Raven wanted, and no one would be the wiser… but when I gave her the antidote it didn't work. And then Raven came in and started to freak out…" and now here we are, she was going to say but the professor looked at her and the words died on her tongue.

"Yes," Baba Yaga said slowly. "But it seems as though you have forgotten to read the fine print."

"The fine what?" Lizzy choked taking the offered book and just then noticing the little tiny writing on the bottom of the page. _"Warning: if intended victim is already destined to be poisoned via apple then the antidote won't work."_

There was a "whack" as Cerise smacked her forehead.

Lizzy continued. _"In this event it is strongly recommended to counteract the effects using-"_

"True love's kiss." Finished Raven. Without looking up from Apple the rebel girl barked; "Move it Charming!"

"Yes ma'am!" Daring prided himself on keeping his cool, and being quick on his feet while facing danger. So promptly moving to the medical bed under Raven and Cerise's intense stares didn't faze him. Much.

Striking a heroic pose (as was required in such a situation) Daring Charming bent down and placed a quick peck to Apple's red lips.

Nothing happened.

As was the same with the second, third, fourth… honestly Daring was getting a little uncomfortable doing so much kissing to an unconscious girl.

"It's not working." Cedar sounded almost just as uncomfortable as Daring was feeling.

"Well he must be doing it wrong!" Lizzy accused the lone male.

"There isn't much to be done wrong." The boy defended looking aghast.

"Maybe there was something not measured right or not added when you made the potion?" Briar looked to Lizzy, being the daughter of Sleeping Beauty Briar had an extensive knowledge of sleeping spells.

"If there was one thing not done right in a sleeping potion usually it can be undone with a few drops of trolls tears." The sleepy authority assured.

Everyone grimaced remembering the day Headmaster Grimm had been caught green-handed trying to make it seem as though all the Ever After High legends were true on Blondie Lockes's show… it had been a memorable episode involving an irate unicorn out for revenge and a vat full of trolls tears…

It took a week for the green boils to disappear, but the Headmaster now had to walk with a cane and wear orthopedic shoes.

Lizzy shook her head. "I made sure to do everything correctly, I even had Blondie do the measuring to make sure everything was just right." Now that made everyone frown, they all knew that the blonde blogger wouldn't stand for anything that wasn't "just right."

"It might be…" Baba Yaga began but stopped shaking her head. "No it's impossible."

"What is it?" Cedar pleaded, running soothing circles over Raven's back as she started to tear up. "Please Baba Yaga if it might be important then pretty please speak up!"

The elderly crone followed the girl's gaze to Raven and sighed. "It… might be that… mister Charming is not Miss White's… one true love." She finished gravely.

Their shocked uproar was cut shot by Raven's booming voice. "NO!" the girl cried, tears falling freely. "NO you have to be wrong! Because if your right and Daring isn't Apple's- then Apple won't- how is Apple supposed to- you're wrong…!" the distressed girl dissolved into crying.

The three Royals looked to the sobbing girl stunned, it didn't compute. Raven was supposed to be evil in their minds, and even though she had turned her back on her destiny she should not be this upset as far as they were concerned.

"Raven?" Briar asked looking alarmed as said girl collapsed to her knees, Cedar yelping as she was dragged down too.

"Please no… please, please no… Apple… wake up… p-please wake up…" she chanted, her magic pulsed around herself and around her and Apple's still joined hands, turning a paler, and paler purple as the seconds ticked by.

"What's wrong with her?" Lizzy gasped, growing alarmed.

Their teacher stared at her pupil with an expression of rarely seen surprise (or rarely seen until Raven and her band of rebels came along). "What? This can't be… that should be impossible."

"What?" but Lizzy got her answer as Raven, in her grieving worry, held Apple's hand to her lips and the once purple aura pulsed white and surrounded the two girls in a bright glow.

"What?" Raven croaked, twitching back in surprise.

Apple moaned but then fell silent again.

"What in the kingdom?" Briar whispered, feeling completely awake for the first time in a while.

Daring focused on what his gut was telling him to do and not to think about things too hard at the moment. "Raven, do that again."

"What?" Cerise didn't know whom to look at; the situation was just too bewildering to think clearly.

"Raven should kiss Apple." Raven sniffled but stared at the boy like he had grown another head.

"It's worth a shot if we want to save Apple." Daring reasoned, letting his gut do the talking while his inner self gaped at what it just heard himself say. Daring's inner voice's exclamation of; _"WHAT?"_ echoed in his head.

Shakily Raven levered herself up, Cedar helping her until she could stand on her own.

She began shaking terribly as she pressed her lips to apple's chilled forehead. The light from before returned but with a stronger intensity, Apple groaned turning on her side to face Raven and stilled once more.

"Kiss her on the lips." Cedar suggested. Everyone stared at her. "What?" the wooden girl asked with an innocence that was achingly naïve.

Raven carefully turned Apple onto her back, gulping as she bent down to seal her black lips over Apple's red ones, which warmed on contact.

The light this time was blinding, from outside a column of light burst up from the school and a defining roar that followed as the light mushroomed across the sky, making it glow with an almost pink tint.

And then just as fast as it had begun it ended.

"GAH my eyes!" Cerise held her hands over the offended orbs.

"I'm blind! Can somebody please tell me where I am?"

"EEK!"

"Oops! Sorry Briar."

"Its fine Cedar, just please watch where you put your hands."

"I would if I could! Honestly!"

"I can't see my handsome face!"

"Who cares about your face! Show me where you are so that I can off with your head."

"Um what' going on guys?" the tentative new voice spoke up.

"APPLE!" everyone exclaimed blindly facing all different directions.

"Oh BFFA, I'm so happy you're alright… I would hug you but I have no clue where you are…"

Apple gently grasped her friend's hand and guided her to sit on the narrow bed before giving the blind girl a hug.

"Okay… did something happen that I should know about? The blonde asked.

"You were given a poisoned apple to eat." Raven's voice came from the other side of the bed making all the blind teens jump and sway disoriented.

Apple's voice was pleased. "Oh Raven I knew that you would come around eventually!"

"It was not me who poisoned you. Isn't that right Lizzy Hearts?" Now Raven's tone was borderline savage, making the mentioned girl flinch.

"Lizzy?" Apple asked confused.

"Ummm… off with your head!" the girl made a slicing motion with her hand, which was followed by an accompanying "clunk."

"That was the door handle Lizzy." Informed Raven's dry voice.

"I knew that!" Lizzy said feeling around. "Oh look the door is wide open. I'm just going to…" and with that the girl stumbled out.

Cerise who had been trying to feel around for something to hold onto came across something slimy. "What did I just touch?"

"Sorry Cerise." Came Apple's voice as she took away the slimy thing and wiped off the hooded girl's fingers on the bed sheet. "That was a bite of the apple I spat out when I woke up."

Cerise made a disgusted sound, rubbing her hand more harshly on the fabric.

"So… I was asleep?"

"Yes, Charming fixed the issue, he was very helpful. Weren't you Charming?"

"But I didn't-"

Raven clapped a hand to the startled boy's shoulder with a force that hurt. "Now, now, there's no need to be humble."

"Thank you Daring! You're just so charming… Raven? Why is everyone but you and Baba Yaga walking around like their blind?"

"Somebody must've been playing around with magic making a bright light which made everyone temporarily blind."

"Is that why I can hear everyone freaking out outside?"

"Yes."

"Why aren't you affected?"

"My eyes were closed."

"Why does it look like you've been crying?"

"Hay fever… maybe a cold."

"Oh dear! Well you better get yourself back to our room and take some medicine! I can't have my evil frienenemy get sick before you have a chance to poison me for real!"

There was a tense silence and a sniffling sound.

"Oh Raven look it's gotten worse! Wait here! I can get a nurse to look you over."

Before Raven could refuse alarms began to blare and the head master's panicked voice flooded the speakers. _"Do I have the intercom on?"_

"_Yes sir."_ Came the bored reply.

"_Right. Attention all students, stay calm. Until we can find out what that bright light was that blinded us-"_

"_I'm not blind."_

"_What do you mean you're not blind?"_

"_I mean that I'm not blind, I thought it was kind of obvious seeing as how I was the one to direct you to the intercom."_

"_Er… Right, thank you. Ahem. If the students who are not blind could please lead the ones who are safely to their rooms before heading to their own it would be greatly appreciated. And stay in your rooms until we've got it all figured out. Now how to I turn this thing o-"_

"Alright." Said Apple determined. Standing up like she was on a mission. "First I'll grab some medicine for Raven and then-"

"I'll be taking the girls to Cerise and Cedar's room. You can guide Daring." Informed Raven, still wiping away tears but looking very determined.

"But Raven, you can't overstress yourself when you're sick."

"I'll be fine. Besides Cerise has some medicine I can use, and right now I'd feel better having all the girls together so that I can keep and eye on their blindness… I'll meet up with you in our- the room later."

Apple looked ready to protest but Raven was already lining the silent girls up in a Congo line, quickly speaking something in riddlish at Baba Yaga who nodded curtly.

"Alright." Raven sniffed, wiping her watery eyes. "I'm going to magic your shoes to fall into step with mine."

"Raven wait! You can't just-" Apple tried again, holding onto Daring's arm.

"Ready and right. Left. Right. Left." Raven called over her shrieking train, quickly leaving the room.

"What just happened?" asked one stunned narrator.

"You're asking me?" said a female voice.

XXX

"Sooo… that happened." Cerise spoke from her place on the bed, effectively breaking the heavy silence that had plagued the darkened room for the past ten minutes.

Raven whimpered she had replaced her normal school attire with a giant sleeping shirt that Cedar loaned her and curled up beneath one of Cerise's wool blankets.

Little had been spoken, save for Raven asking for more comfortable clothes and inquiring for the location of the first aid kit when there was a school wide message from one of the healers for all blinded students to wrap up their eyes so that they could heal better in complete darkness.

Being temporarily blind the three other girls in the room could do nothing but lounge on Cerise's large bed as they a waited for their vision to slowly come back.

Cedar patted around the bed. "Raven? Is there anything we can do? Do you want to talk about it? Do you want a hug? Or do you just want to be quiet for now?"

Raven peeked out from under the blanket. "You- you're not disgusted by me?" she asked tearfully.

"Of course not!" Cedar assured.

"Don't even think it!" Cerise stated, searching with her hand until she found her friend's shoulder and gave the prone girl a one-armed hug. "You're our friend Raven, part of our pack, and no one is allowed to tell you that you're disgusting."

"I second that." Briar added in, squeaking in surprise when a pair of arms encircled her waist.

"That's Briar Cedar." Pointed out Raven, chuckling wetly.

"Oops. Sorry Briar."

"It's alright, I appreciate the hug anyways."

There was a comfortable silence that descended upon the group for a while.

"It wasn't supposed to happen like this…" Raven spoke up. "I was supposed to find my own happiness and Apple was supposed to live hers with her Prince. I was… I just wanted to get over her without anybody ever finding out." She wavered and cracked towards the end.

"You… you've fallen for Apple?" Briar asks surprised.

"I didn't mean to." Raven defended brokenly. "It just… one day I just realized… I wasn't going to do anything about it, but then… I can't be… I can't be Apple's true love. She doesn't want me! She'd never be happy settling with… me."

Cerise hushed and soothed as the young witch's resolve finally disintegrated and she allowed her tears to shed without a fight.

"Why… why did I have to fall in love with- it hurts… it hurt so much t-to s-see her like that… it was almost as if she was- I never want to see her like that again!" The pale girl curled into her friend's embrace, burying her head into the other's lap.

"Shh, hush now, I know you don't like seeing her get poisoned, you are just too nice for that, it worked out in the end, it worked out in the end, it's all fixed now, shh, shh." Cerise comforted running her fingers through Raven's hair.

Briar had unconsciously tightened her hold on Cedar, her mind working furiously as she processed the words raven managed to hiccup out.

So… this was something more than Raven just turning her back on her destiny-

No, wait… if Raven is Apple's true love then… it wouldn't be raven turning her back on her destiny… it would be Raven embracing her destiny!

Daring couldn't wake Apple up. Daring wasn't Apple's true love. Raven gave Apple a true love's kiss and saved Apple. Raven is Apple's true love. But Apple…

Apple wanted to marry a prince. Wanted Raven to poison her. Wanted Raven to be the evil queen, to be the bad guy. Apple (bless her ignorance and nativity) never really understood what that would mean for Raven. Never took the time to listen…

Raven was nice; her true nature was that of a truly kind person. Raven cared about her friends. Raven cared about Apple. Raven wanted happiness, a good life. Raven was Apple's true love; she wanted Apple to be happy too. But if Raven were to make Apple happy by becoming the evil queen… it would- Raven would-

Briar's breath hitched and her heart fell to her stomach; if Raven is Apple's true love then that meant doing any harm to the girl she loved would- it might just kill Raven! It wouldn't matter if Raven had signed the Book of Legends or not; true love was true love and if the deed of poisoning, being hatefully denied by the one she loved, and imprisoned by that person, didn't break Raven's heart enough for it to stop then…

…Raven just might- Briar thought as bile rose in her throat- she just might beat them all to the punch and take away the threat posed to the one she loved… by taking out herself.

Usually Briar had no qualms about her rich imagination or the dreams that were produced by it, but at that moment the not-so-sleepy girl knew that the images of Raven tearfully watching Apple working on some chores at the dwarves' cabin, taking the poisoned apple and instead of walking over and getting Apple to eat it, putting the fruit to her own lips and taking one big bite-

Yep. She was going to have some nightmares for sure.

"I'll help you out any way I can." Briar almost jumped at the sound of her own voice.

"I'm surprised that you would offer." Cerise said coolly.

"Well she obviously can't poison Apple!" Briar pointed out. "True love's can't harm each other or else they'll… I really don't want to see- or in my case hear about years later- Raven get irrevocably hurt! I mean not even the Book of Legends has the power to dictate true love!"

Briar sighed as the only thing she could hear was Raven sniffling again. "Look, it's gotten kind of obvious now that Headmaster Grimm was lying about a lot of things… you not going poof, and that whole mirror incident being the proof."

Although only one of them could see it, nods went all around. Remembering the incident where the Headmaster had brought in a relic from one of Raven's ancestors, the mirror was said to show one's true potential as an evil queen.

It had backfired when all Raven saw was herself, only dressed as an ordinary but nice person, and smiling.

The Headmaster tried to quickly manipulate the image but as it turned out the mirror did not take kindly to being forced into a lie, and it told the Headmaster this… in a I've-just-set-you-on-fire sort of way.

He was so lucky that Raven was able to catch up to him running down the hallway and that she had mastered ice and water spells the previous week.

Not before half the student body had just witnessed their Headmaster as a flaming, screaming, inferno darting through the halls. Blondie broke a record on how many hits she got on her mirrorcast that week.

"I just want to let you know; however you decide to handle this, I will help you. Even if it means that I'll have to… evade certain questions from Apple." Briar concluded.

"I'll help too!" cried Cedar.

"We've all got your back Raven." Assured Cerise, finding Raven's hand to hold.

"Thank you, this… this means a lot to me guys." Said Raven, grateful.

"So she wasn't turning her back on her destiny?" Watching the scene from somewhere above a disembodied female voice spoke, although the only one that could hear her was the other disembodied person.

"Yes… and No… I think." Hummed the male narrator. Raven is refusing to go along with the destiny set out by the Book of Legends; but at the same time she is following the destiny laid out by her own heart. And her heart will not allow any harm to come to Apple, Raven's true love."

"This whole situation does not seem very fair." The female narrator sighed in frustration.

"For once I agree with you. It is not fair for Raven to have a true love that wants her to be the bad guy."

"It's not fair for Apple either. I mean if it is Raven and not Daring that has the ability to save her from poisoning then how is Apple supposed to get her prince? They can't just pretend can they?"

"…Pretend? You mean having Raven save Apple and then somehow making it seem like it was Daring all along?"

"Yes."

If the male narrator could, he'd be massaging his temples in order to try and quell his rising headache.

"No, even if Raven were to willingly do that it wouldn't work. You saw Briar's thought process! Raven cannot harm Apple, she is not physically or emotionally able to, and if she tried…"

The female narrator sighed peering down at Raven, who was trying to dry the tears that did not seem to want to stop falling.

"She does look awfully miserable." Female narrator reluctantly admitted.

Her male counterpart huffed in outrage. "She didn't even get a chance to even hope for something more with Apple, it was bad enough having to love from afar but now that she knows that it is a true love for Apple… well I guess her heart broke even more than it already was!"

The female narrator paused for a moment at the male's tone. "I suppose that we have no choice but to see how this story plays out, although if I were to guess; this will not be a tale about the rivalry between the Rebels and the Royals anymore."

"It will be a tale about an unexpected and difficult true love." Finished the male narrator. "Although with all these Rebel vs. Royal qualities it's impossible to say whether Raven and Apple will actually get together."

"A perplexing tale indeed." Spoke a whispered third voice.

"Wha- Kitty?" the narrators gasped.

For a brief second a Cheshire smile appeared near one of the rafters before disappearing again.

"Relax will you? I'm not going to lock those two into any closets until they stop being entertaining and need desperate help."

"Did you guys hear something?" asked Cerise.

"Oops. Gotta go." And without a sight nor sound Kitty was gone.

Raven sat up and looked around.

A bird in the windowsill tweeted sheepishly once the witch spied it.

"It's just one of Apple's birds." Raven informed holding out a finger for the bird to perch on. Gently caressing the creature's breast once it landed.

"Apple must be worried about you guys." The bird cooed happily under the girl's ministrations.

"She's worried about you too Raven." Briar pointed out. "She's probably wondering where you are right now."

Raven bit her lip, yes Apple would worry, that was the kind of girl she was, but it was nothing for her heart to skip a beat over, or for her to feel warm inside.

After all, aside from being the Evil Queen's daughter, Raven was nothing particularly special to Apple.

"Hey pretty bird, do you mind carrying a message back to your mistress for me?" Raven asked the bird.

The bird sat up to attention and nodded nobly, making Raven chuckle.

"Alright, just hang out for a minute while I jot down a note…" Raven stood from the bed, carefully placing the bird on a lampshade while she retrieved a piece of paper and pen.

When she made to fold her note up Raven got a serendipitous idea, so instead of folding the paper into a little square she used her magic to fold it into a paper rose.

The girl gasped in shock when instead of her normal purple colored magic, what came out of her pointed finger was magic the color of pure _white_ snow.

"What in the kingdom?" Raven whispered shaken.

"Raven?" called Cerise from the bed. "What's wrong?"

"M-My magic… it's white!"

"White?" asked Cedar confused.

"It's normally dark purple! How can this be?" Raven flexed her hand in front of her face and like before a white aura surrounded the appendage.

"The color of your magic changed?" Briar snapped up from her dosing.

Before she could answer the bird, who had been appraising the folded paper rose and ignoring the silly humans, whistled appreciatively at Raven's handiwork.

For a moment Raven pushed down her rising panic and gave the bird a brave little smile.

"I guess some birds are colorblind. Thank-you, and thank-you again for taking this to Apple for me."

The bird whistled something merrily back before taking the stem of the paper in its beak and flying out the window.

"I better send a hext to BabaYaga about the change in my magic's color before completely freaking out." Raven muttered to the room, her hands shaking as she typed her message.

"You are staying here for the night?" Cerise asked.

Raven nodded as she sent her message, and then realized that her friends were blind so she spoke. "Y-yes, I was telling the truth about keeping an eye on your recovery… and to be honest I-I can't go back to- back to-"

"Go back to your dorm where Apple is waiting with a gazillion questions and armed with medicine for a sickness you don't have?" Cerise finished.

In response Raven curled back into the hooded girl's arms with a whimper.

"Try to get some sleep." Briar advised. "Plans and deep thoughts seem to always form best after a decent nap."

"I'll try, although I don't know if I'll be able to sleep after all that has happened." Admitted the witch.

"Here, lead my hands to the base of your neck." The sleepy teen instructed.

"Ok…" Raven did as asked looking at the girl in confusion from the corner of her eye, before gasping as she heard the other girl mutter something under her breath and felt tendrils of magic seep into the back of her mind.

"Don't fight it, just close your eyes and start counting back from ten." Briar instructed in a kind tone.

"Ten… Nine-" with a soft exhale of breath Raven was out.

Cerise hissed. "What was-?"

"The daughter of Sleeping Beauty, remember."

"That is one freaking terrifying skill you have! ... Can you teach me how to do that?" Cerise whispered.

"Later, for now lets try to get some rest too."

XXX

From another section of the girl's dorms two girls sat a spell in a room of a cat and Hatter for a taste of their homeland's staple tea.

"-And now here we are. Honestly Madeline there seems to be no method to this madness… and that is saying something."

Maddie hummed at the Queen-to-be, helping Lizzie Hearts take a sip of her tea through a silly straw.

"The heart rarely does business by a method when it comes to love, sometimes it can be downright sillier than a March Hare on Caterpillar Smoke." The Rebel Hatter pointed out.

Lizzie sighed putting a hand over her wrapped eyes. "And the Book does not dictate true love… but I thought that it… did it not seek out true love matches? I mean, of all the various, unrelated, Charming clans in existence only one family line was invited to this school to train to be the next Charming princes."

"Lies, lies, lies all abound. But is the fault of the Book or of the Headmaster I wonder…" A flash of a grin and Kitty appeared in the awaiting empty chair.

"You saw what our Queen had seen?" Maddie asked pouring the Cheshire and Earl Grey, her pet mouse, some tea.

"Not so much as seen what our Queen had seen, as… curiously observed why the not-so-Evil-Queen was leading a train of blind princess, doll, and wol-… red hood, while tears of woe streamed down her paled face." Kitty replied nonchalantly, biting her lip at the near slip of Cerise's true nature.

Maddie, who was more concerned about Raven than the odd slip, sat straighter, a frown marring her face.

"Yes… Raven's heart was already aching and now with this true love business with the Apple who is so very fare…" Maddie sighs in uncharacteristic worry.

The Mad girl turns to her feline countrywoman eyes bright and determined. "Is Raven well? Because is she is alone or with Apple then-"

"Calm Hatter, your companion is residing in the blinded doll and red hood's room with the addition of a blinded sleepy-princess."

Maddie sighs in relief.

"Although if it is a worry for your friend's heart and the unrequited love she has held so very long for our dear fairest Apple White, then I daresay that darling little Raven's feathers have been ruffled down to the bone."

Maddie narrows her eyes at Kitty. "I do not recall saying a letter of who holds Raven's heart."

"You did not have to, I overheard the girl herself admit about the fare-one holding that precious heart so carelessly- Now, now, Hatter no need for such a sourish look, as I have told the narrators, I will not interfere until it stops being amusing and those two's hearts are in desperate need… to be brought together… preferably in a locked closet."

Lizzie tilted her head in the Cheshire's direction. "You support this? But what of the Charming one, and of Apple's fairytale destiny?"

"Ah, but her majesty must also see, it is destiny that fare Apple White wants. Her and the Charming one are not even a couple, and the fare Apple has never once looked at her supposed beloved's flings in jealousy. Now does that sound like a girl in love to you?"

The future Queen of Hearts froze at the thought. No it really didn't seem like love to her, at least not a true one, it was more of an… arrangement of love. Apple did not even get jealous when she had spotted the charming one taking Lizzie herself out on a secret date. Of coarse Lizzie had put a stop to those little one-on-one outings partly because it just would not do for her reputation to be seen with any boy on a date, and partly because they weren't so much as dates as fun outings with a friend and that second part is exactly what she had told Daring Charming just so that he wasn't going to get any funny ideas.

The outings did not stop but Lizzie had made sure that Apple was invited as well, a good time amongst friends, something the girl of hearts was slowly learning how to do without causing mass fear of chopping off people's heads.

Maddie looked to Earl Grey, who squeaked around a mouthful of cookie. "Earl Grey has a point, Raven would not want Apple to end up with her because of destiny and obligation, she would want Apple to fall in love out of her own free will. And although I do agree with Kitty, Raven and Apple would indeed have the potential of making each other very happy; the cavity of this tooth is that they cannot forge their destiny unless Apple learns to let go of being the next fare Snow White and Raven learns that destiny is not always a bad thing and thus something that should not always be fought."

She raises her teacup to Lizzie. "Take our Queen for a look-see, the Book or not the Book, she is still our future Queen of Hearts and her majesty has found no reason to fight it. If Raven is shown that destiny can land her a life of freedom and happiness then perhaps she will stop quaking in fear at the very word."

Lizzie considers for a moment, reclining in a chair that looks more like a throne, deep in thought.

"Apple, just as our little Raven, will not be so easy to convince either. It would not be surprising for Apple to stubbornly cling to her envisioned ever after." Lizzie signaled for Maddie to help her take a long sip of tea.

"So my subjects, what are we to do?"

"Raven's happiness and the wellbeing of her heart are my only concern, but whether I will assist in her and the fare one becoming a true love couple remains solely on what time says and whether fare Apple might pose a threat to Raven's heart." Maddie informed her tone leaning more towards, but never quite fitting perfectly with sanity, just as it always does when dealing with something that might put that awful sad and heartbroken look upon her friend's face.

Kitty studied a cookie with mild interest. "I have already stated my intentions."

Lizzie huffed. "If we have the last resort, and the safe friendish actions, all lined up… then I suppose that would make me the risky front line." She lifts her hand in a royal fashion. "Cheers to this plan."

"Aye laced in catnip!"

"Cookies and Raven's happy heart!"

"Squeak!"

XXX

The hext had come early the next morning; all parties- except for Apple White- who had been present at the origin of yesterday's fiasco were excused from class and ordered to report to the headmaster's office where breakfast would be served.

Raven highly doubted that she would be very hungry, or even have the stomach to keep any food down.

"OK now open one eye slowly." Raven instructed Cedar as she held one hand over the other's left eye and held the bandages in the other.

Cedar did as told squinting and blinking before a big smile spread across her face.

"I can see!"

"Well that makes three for three and I gotta say I am so glad that I'm not blind anymore." A sunglasses wearing Cerise beamed handing Cedar her pair of revealer rays.

"Not only are these revealer rays hexelent for revealing stuff but their also hexelent sunglasses!" Cedar proclaimed proudly as the lenses darkened.

"You're sure that you're up for this Raven?" Briar asked placing a hand on said girl's shoulder.

"I don't think that I'll ever be up for it." Raven admitted truthfully. "But this talk needs to be done and things need to be sorted out."

The walk to Headmaster Grimm's office was done in silence; all around them the halls were abuzz with that mysterious column of light that had appeared the previous day. Theories were already being volleyed around each more outlandish then the last, however- Raven was thankful to note- non that she could hear had anything to do with true love.

A blindfolded Daring and Lizzie were already there along with Maddie and Giles Grimm. Someone had arranged a table filled with food several feet parallel to the Headmaster's desk with several winged back chairs arranged to face the Headmaster's chair behind his desk.

The Headmaster and Baba Yaga were not present in the darkened office but Raven could faintly hear the murmur of voices in the adjacent room.

"Raven!" Maddie rushed to envelope her friend into a hug. "Lizzie told me what happened when I helped her back to her room. I've got some tea that'll help with nerves."

Raven hugged back and gave Maddie a grateful smile. "Thanks Maddie, that sounds wonderful."

"Why are you two still blindfolded?" Briar asked taking off her sunshades.

"We no longer have to adorn the blindfolds?" Asked Lizzie sounding hopeful.

"As long as your vision is restored and you don't expose your eyeballs to any intense light." Briar replied. "Here let me help you."

While Briar set to work a plate full of food appeared in front of Raven. "Oh Maddie, thank-you but-"

"But nothing Raven I can hear your stomach calling for food from here." Her Hatter friend countered.

"Maddiline is right Raven, you may not feel hungry but your body is. When was the last that you ate anyways?" Giles Grimm asked in a grandfatherly sort of way.

Raven thought for a moment. "Breakfast… yesterday…" she had gone to fetch Apple to tell her that the cafeteria was serving apple cheesecake and would Apple like to join her; but then she was greeted with Apple White, laying so still, barely breathing, cold to the touch, as if she were dead.

Raven's stomach chose that moment to howl.

"Eat or off with your head!" An un-blindfolded Lizzie Hearts punctuated the statement by cleanly slicing the top of her soft-boiled egg and taking a tiny spoon to dig in.

Raven just nodded and took a bite from a deviled egg, making the table beam at her like she was five all over again, much to her embarrassment.

"My handsome face! Oh how I've missed you." Daring crooned at his reflection as he held his trusty mirror.

"I'm glad to see that you are all doing well." Commented Baba Yaga as she floated into the room.

Raven fidgeted eyes darting to the other room as she tried to distract herself by focusing on getting food into her mouth.

As if reading her thoughts Giles spoke up. "My brother will be out soon, he's just recently gained his sight back and is pouring over old texts to make heads out of tails of the situation. He's trying to keep everything under raps, the only faculty that know the whole story is myself, Miss Baba Yaga, and my brother; but I must say that bright light has caused quite a stir."

"I'll say." Cedar piped up. "The halls are filled with talk, most of it's people thinking that somebody just mixed the wrong magical vials in evil-nomics though."

Raven gulped down a bite of waffle. "Do you know how many people were blinded?" she asked concern and guilt lacing every word.

"Fortunately the only reported cases of blindness were from those in the room with Miss White and myself." Headmaster Grimm answered as he limped into the room, startling Raven.

Cerise wrinkled her nose. "'Bout that; something's been bugging me all night… if what you say is true then why wasn't Professor Baba Yaga or Raven blinded? And what about you Headmaster Grimm, you weren't even in the same room as us, why were you blinded?" the hooded girl asked pointing to the headmaster as if he had a hand in the whole mess.

"When working with the future evil fairytale characters, I have learned to keep up on certain protection spells." Baba Yaga answered with a smug little smirk.

Raven blushed bright red. "I- like I told A-Apple… myeyeswereclosed." The girl mumbled looking fascinated by a spot on the table.

Headmaster Grimm cleared his throat. "A certain magical mirror had reacted to the phenomenon caused by Miss Raven Queen's actions."

"Milton…" Giles warned. "Remember when we agreed to provide the students with all of the relevant information."

The Headmaster made a face, shooting his brother a withering look; but Giles firmly held his brother's gaze (almost as if saying; remember when you cursed me and locked me beneath the school? Yeah well I'm not putting up with that nonsense again) and within moments the Headmaster was sighing in defeat.

"The mirror imprisoning the Evil Queen illuminated while I was trying to get her to tell me where she hid the Fairytale Book of Legends." The table went from merely quiet to oh-curses-silent.

"My mother again?" Raven whispered horrified.

"We have also discovered," Giles gently started. "That our various instruments to find the future true love, or true love alternatives has been… tampered with."

The air almost sucks out of the room at the proclamation.

"Along with the events of yesterday and the discovery of the vandalism to mentioned instruments, two other alarming factors have arisen." Announces Baba Yaga looking pointedly to Raven.

"The first of which was Miss Queen discovering last night that the color of her magic has changed."

As if on cue Raven holds up her hand which glows with a white aura. As the Wonderlandians stare in shock and Charming nearly chokes on his food, the old crone takes Raven's glowing hand and inspects it.

"Speaking of; Miss Queen, sometime this afternoon or tomorrow I'd like you to report to my laboratory to get a better look at this."

Raven nodded to her teacher. "Yes Baba Yaga."

"The second strange factor is the sudden growth of this plant all over Bookends." As she says this, a potted plant floats to the center of the table. It looks a lot like a thick vine, or a very green, very tiny, trunked tree with delicate twiggy branches that at the very tips extend five long stems that end with flowers that look like purple bleeding hearts and two leaves that extend from where the stem meets the petals that look like little green wings.

"It looks like a bleeding Rebel heart!" Maddie squeals excited.

"Rebel heart?" Daring asks.

The mad girl nodded. "Earl Grey made the Rebels an icon." Said mouse appeared next to the plant with a drawing of a purple heart with white wings.

"Oh." Said the boy.

Raven and Cedar looked at the new plant in fascination. Cedar always loved plants; she felt that she had a… special connection to them.

Raven, who always had a head for magic-sciences, itched to learn the properties of this particular find.

"All over Bookends you say?" The young witch asked eagerly.

Baba Yaga looked at Raven knowingly. "There are plenty down by the girls dorms. Though might I remind you Miss Queen to conduct proper safety procedures and if needed, using the labs installed here, with permission from me mind. Please. Do not make Billy's mistake of converting your dorm into a laboratory?"

Daring shuttered at the memory.

Raven blinked innocently. The elder witch made a note to update those fireproof spells, and keeping in mind Billy's adventure, the spells dealing with enlarged dust mites.

"Right then. Back on track."

Giles looks to his grim brother with a pointed expression. To which Headmaster Grimm produced a golden framed empty piece of canvas; and a brass sundial-like instrument with complex gears at its center, and a rim fixed with a mirror that surrounded the center like a shiny donut, inlaid with copper wire designs that looked like vines had grown over the mirrored part.

"We do not know the full extent of the tampering, but we have fixed most of the bugs out of several instruments such as the compass of hearts and the canvas of Eros. We will begin re-administering tests as soon as possible, after all fairytale matches of love are not done lightly. Each paired couple must forge a relationship that can last the rest of their lives." The Headmaster explained.

Half the table pulled a face. Fancy words weren't enough to cover up the real meaning; arranged marriages.

"Unless it's a true love." Briar reminded. "Nothing, not even the Book can dictate a true love match."

The Headmaster nodded. "That is true Miss beauty, and that is exactly why we have so many sensitive instruments. True love, as our ancestors have recorded, is a very rare phenomenon that has the power to break any curse and even change the path of one's story."

He took the compass and motioned for Raven to move her almost fully eaten plate so that he could set it down in front of her.

"We will begin today by using the repaired instruments to discover what exactly we are dealing with. These tools in particular are extremely accurate the closer the fairytale character is to it."

"What do I need to do?" Raven looked at the device determined.

"Just sit still Raven." Giles instructed coming up on the other side of the table and placing the Canvas of Eros directly in front of both Raven and the compass.

A large copper sewing needle with a heart shape for the eye rose from the center of the gears, the mirror ring glowed beneath the copper wires, and without warning the eye of that needle shot a pink light right to the location of Raven's heart.

Raven gasped feeling something pulse through her entire self, from her bones to the core of her power with a force that felt like she was bracing the full force of a magical mountain that turned out to be a volcano.

A white aura surrounded the surprised girl and a strong concentrated beam of Raven's magic shot up the line of pink light, through the eye of the needle and collided into the canvas.

Those who were formerly blinded winced at the sudden onslaught of lights, their eyes aching and sending shoots of pain to the center of the brain, but many still tried to squint curiously as color started to bleed into the fabric of the canvas.

And then like someone had flipped a switch the lights shut off and the needle descended back into the compass.

"Raven!" Cerise called in concern as said girl collapsed in her seat like a puppet with cut strings. The hooded girl caught her friend, scootching her chair closer so that Raven didn't have to lean so far.

"Just as I, and Baba Yaga had predicted Milton." Giles informed his brother dryly. "The color is permanent on this canvas, not just a temporary projection, meaning a strong true love. And you know as well as I that the saying goes, "If it is a light upon the tread then a love that'll last until their dead. A stain into the thread then a truest love that will last beyond their time of being dead." Even rusted dowsing rods can detect a strong true love."

As the brothers began a silent argument involving pointed looks and odd faces, Raven shook wide eyed in Cerise's arms.

Upon the fabric of the canvas there was an image of Raven Queen and Apple White nearly embracing fully as lovers stained into the thread. They stood beneath an apple tree with fruit of green, yellow, and red. Growing around the trunk was some form of tiny vine-ish tree with purple flowers that looked a little like bleeding hearts.

Apple White wore a dress of reds, whites, and gold fit enough for an Empress. Hair all done up, make up carefully applied, a magnificent crown adorning her head and a scepter with an apple jewel on top carelessly held in the hand facing the viewer.

Raven Queen did not sport the macabre designs and high collar of an evil queen; instead her gown, and entire look was simpler, though no less stunning, she wore no make up, feet bare on the grassy ground, her simple sundress was of silver prints of apples here and there, light shades of lavender for the whole of the dress that clung to her upper body and gently flowed out around her at the waist, and bare traces of black trim. Her hair was down and swept to the side to expose the side of the girl's face to the viewer with no spikey crown or crown at all in sight.

Raven's breath caught somewhere near the hollow of her throat and she forgot the ability to breathe at the tiny figure resting securely in Raven's arms, swaddled in a little white blanket with tiny green apples printed onto the fabric. A tiny hand rose towards the smiling faces above.

Raven felt Maddie take her free hand the distraction allowing the shaken witch to tear her gaze away. The witch did not cry, but it was a near thing for all the hurt at seeing what could never be.

From his corner, Daring looked to the portrait with a soft look. Noting that he oddly felt no traces of jealousy, just the opposite, looking at that painting for some unexplainable reason made him feel… happy.

Not in a perverted way like that idiot Sparrow Hood would no doubt do. It was really hard to believe that boy would become the selfless Robin Hood one day.

No… the happy he felt was… well it was a lot like pointing at something obvious and exclaiming; "I knew it!"

Was this that "fangirling" thing that his sister had talked about?

Finally fed up with the two brothers Baba Yaga promptly wacked the two upside the head.

Rubbing the back of his skull Headmaster Grimm turned towards his students.

"Miss Queen, despite the current evidence presented I would like that this remained a secret from Miss Apple White."

Half the room bristled, ready to protest.

"I fully agree." Raven stated.

"I do not want to hear any arguments Miss- wait what?" The Headmaster, like the two diehard Royals looked at the witch in utter surprise.

"I am not the one that Apple wants." Raven's voice was low and shaken, yet very strong. "My principles stand for everyone to choose their destiny. Apple wants a prince charming and a fairytale happy ending. That is everything that I cannot give her. I couldn't stand it if Apple settled for me just because some compass and a pretty picture said so and not of her free will."

"But what about true love?" Both Daring and Lizzie exclaimed at once.

Raven gave them a resigned smile. "Just because neither Apple or I will end up with a true love ending does not mean that we can't find love and happiness with other people. Destiny may say that we are a good match but I have loved Apple far too long and far too much to let her settle for someone who she doesn't really want."

Daring huffs getting ready to argue but Raven is too quick.

"I am not feeling well. Can I go lay down in my dorm?" Even though Raven asks she is already out of her seat followed by Cerise.

Raven looks to Maddie, Briar, and Cedar. "I'm sure that you guys can keep me up to date with what the rest of the meeting was about?"

"I'm going with you." Cerise states and it is not a request.

"Raven! Wait a time!" Lizzie calls but the girls are already out the door.

"Oh! Off with her head!" The girl of hearts grumbles in a very put upon way.

XXX

Once outside the office Raven moved swiftly down the hall, picking up speed the further she went, Cerise kept pace beside her. The witch's head held down so the wolf child could not see the other's expression, but she could smell the shock and grief roll off of Raven and surround her form.

It was a good thing that there were very few students out in the halls at this hour, most were either in the cafeteria or in town grabbing breakfast. Even so Raven, in her haste, nearly plowed into Ashlynn Ella talking to Hunter Huntsman, and gave Tiny quite the fright, jumping out of nowhere in an improvised shortcut from one terrace to another, using her magic to achieve the great leaps.

Raven was panting harshly, leaning against her large dorm doors for support at the end of it all. Cerise, who hadn't broken a sweat, carried her exhausted friend inside, flopping her down on Raven's dark-themed bed and stripping off her black-heeled boots.

"That little run feel good did it?" Cerise asked.

"Yes…" Raven huffed, curling into a ball.

"Hey, don't get all comatose on me yet, we still have to get you into some more comfortable clothes." Cerise warned before attacking the black corset. "To be honest I'll never understand how you are able to wear such tight clothing all the time."

"Not… my idea… Apple bought me an entire… wardrobe when… we became roommates." Raven wheezed.

Cerise looked to the other girl with wide eyes. "She bought you a what?"

"Clothes really expensive… and they were from Apple… couldn't turn them down." Raven explained as if it would make any more sense.

"Well that would explain why you dress all dark and gloomy every day. Wait. How did she even know your measurements?"

"Apple can be very resourceful…" Raven paused, half naked now, looking over her half of the room. "She bought almost everything you see here. She said that she had found out that I had very little belongings of my own my first two years here so she decided that would not do for an Evil Queen… her heart was in the right place at least."

"… I suppose so." Cerise surmised that Raven must care for Apple a hex of a lot if she put up with creepy décor and Apple being… well Apple.

It wasn't that Cerise disliked Apple White; she just found the blonde annoying.

… Very, very annoying.

"Remind me to give you a couple of proper sleep-ware and lounging clothes the next gift giving holiday." Cerise grimaced as she held up some silky things and an old purple sleeping shirt that was on its last legs. "There is no way this stuff can last you through the winter."

"That blanket you gave me worked very well in keeping me warm." Raven walked, in her underwear, over to a giant dark wood chest sporting intricate designs of skulls and webs, and pulled out a thick purple plaid wool blanket and wrapped it around herself.

The same blanket Cerise had thought too simple for the witch but could not think of anything better to give to her, and the thing was on sale, and now here Raven was, standing barefoot and snuggled into something that had been seventy five percent off at some backwoods chain store, as if it were the most precious gift of all.

But then again that was Raven, Cerise had come to understand that the witch preferred the simple things over extravagance, she was great to shop with, Raven had a sixth sense on deals and sales.

It wasn't that the girl didn't have money; from barest hints here and there she knew that Raven's father was a noble of some sort, it was just that Raven had a bit of a craft witch in her, someone who made most of what she needed and only went out and bought the things that she could not make, any excess luxuries were gifts from others. Cerise had some of Raven's handmade shower jellies to prove it.

Cerise had a suspicion that Raven felt as if she didn't deserve luxuries or comfortable clothes.

That thought made the wolf child reach out and hug her best friend, because although she may not be able to make Raven's current situation all better, she could make Raven feel a little better.

_Fairytale_! Apple had to be some form of fool to let someone like Raven slip through her fingers, and then metaphorically kick the witch when she was down with all of that evil nonsense. Cerise mused to herself as her heart warmed when Raven all but melted into the hug.

Even before the door opened Cerise growled, pulling a startled witch beneath the girl's dark bed sheets as Apple's voice rang throughout the room. "Raven? Are you in here?"

Cerise let out a sigh of defeat. "She's in here." The hooded girl called out.

"Cerise?" Apple appeared around the corner, one look at Raven huddled in her bed and the princess raced to her roommate's side. "Oh Raven you look awful!"

"Gee thanks." Raven tried to sound sarcastic but instead her voice cracked and shook.

"No seriously you look worse off than yesterday!" The blonde turns towards Cerise. "Didn't she take any medicine last night?"

"Raven's had a… difficult morning." Cerise replied, hiding a rueful smile. As annoying as Apple could be one of her saving graces was helping others to the best of her abilities.

"I heard from Ashlynn that you were racing down the halls all upset. Did something happen Raven?" Apple reached down to feel the witch's forehead.

Raven blushed at the contact her magic flaring up and almost seeming to reach for the princess.

Apple gasped stepping back. "Raven?"

Cerise grappled for a decent excuse. "Ah well- Apple ya see Raven is… she's…"

"My magic's changed color." Raven's meek voice rang throughout the room like a gong.

"Changed- Raven that's terrible! No wonder everyone said that you looked so upset!" Apple moved closer to Raven. "Have you been to see the healers yet?"

"Professor Baba Yaga said to schedule an appointment with her this afternoon or tomorrow."

"And have you?"

Raven fidgeted. "No… I uh- I know I should see her as soon as possible… it's just that I don't know if I want-" she grimaces holding up a hand and eyeing the white glow. "I just don't know how to… deal with… this…"

Apple nodded expecting such a reaction. "Perfectly understandable. How about I schedule you an appointment with her for this afternoon and we can face this together. Ok?"

"'K." Raven blushed feeling warmth spread through her chest.

"First let's take this thing off…" Apple reached forward towards the crown still in Raven's hair, flinching back as the white glow reappeared.

"S-sorry!" Raven stuttered. "That's never happened to me before I swear!"

Apple takes a steadying breath, resuming her quest to take care of the spikey crown, this time she barely twitched when the glow curled around her gentle fingers. "Your magic is linked to your emotions right? So it's only hexpected for you to be upset enough for it to flare up like this."

The princess takes the crown and gently moves to place it on a regal mannequin head for safekeeping.

"Is there anything else that you need? The truth Raven, remember how your cold turned into strep throat because you refused to acknowledge that your body needed things. Like sleep and food." Apple's tone turns very dry.

Raven blushes looking sheepish at the reminder and Cerise raises both eyebrows.

"It was midterms! And besides the bella nightshade flower is the only flower that still grows in the winter around this area. I wanted to study it!"

"Outside? In the cold? At night? If memory serves me correctly we have several evil-labs that are indoors and built for the purpose of studying magic. Honestly Raven I can understand taking your craft seriously but there is a difference between harmless curiosity and having Hunter drag you back to our room at two a.m. in the middle of the night, coughing, high fever, and nearly frozen to death."

Raven pouted. "You're never going to let that one go are you."

"Two a.m. Raven. And do I have to add that you had gotten such a high fever that you were hallucinating? I may not know much riddleish but I'm pretty sure you mistook me for that flower you were so obsessed over."

Apple cleared her throat. "Little dittle, petals so fare, heady fragrance of blood do heat, forbidden temptation does pollen bring, may radiance caress me fully, little dittle, shall I dare?" The princess quoted misinterpreting Ravens full body blush for something else entirely.

Cerise perked her head in alert. Strange… for a second there she could've sworn she heard an aborted wolf whistle.

"And you kept making similar comments while grinning like a loon." Apple continued. "You don't remember this, but I'm sure Maddie has told you about the time she was over to see how you were, she told me that you were referring me to a pretty flower. Which is nice and all but from the look on her face you were saying weird things even compared to _Wonderland_ standards."

Raven bit her lip remembering that little incident had clued her best friend into her true feelings for Apple. According to Maddie, Raven had quite the silver tongue.

Thank the ancestors that Apple could not understand a lick of it.

"But Apple," Raven blinked innocently, "you are comparable to a pretty flower."

"Nice try Raven, but flattery will not stop me from making sure you don't end up grinning at me and talking to the walls again." Apple pushed Raven to lie down on her bed and then snuggly tucked the witch in.

Raven sobered. "I'll be fine Apple, I just need some rest and to… make do of the situation."

"Good." Apple stated with feeling. "I'll see you at lunch to bring you food and to tell you when we are going to see professor Baba Yaga, and if anything is wrong, I don't care about how little it is, you hext me right away."

"Yes ma'am." Raven nodded."

"C'mon Cerise we'll be late for class." Apple motioned for the Hooded girl, who followed the blonde out of the room.

"I'll see you later Raven." The wolf child promised looking the witch in the eye before ducking out.

Once the door closed Raven groaned, hiding fully beneath the covers and tried to just forget the world.

XXX

Outside the dorm doors a bemused Cerise was witnessing yet another distraught girl.

Apple leaned against a pillar, holding her mirrorphone to her chest, her free hand covering her worried face.

"Cerise… please, will you tell me that Raven is going to be ok?"

Cerise blinked. "Raven is going to be ok." She said.

"Her magic's changed color." Apple said sliding to the ground.

"Yes, it has." Cerise did not know where this was going.

"This is really serious isn't it?"

Cerise hesitated.

Well yes it was serious, magic changing colors was probably not a simple thing.

"Yes it is." Cerise answered truthfully.

"Is that why you guys were all in Grimm's office?" Apple asked.

Cerise reeled gaping at the other for a while.

"You really are resourceful aren't you?" It wasn't a question.

"Yes, I am." Apple looked at her.

"… Yes." Cerise finally relented.

Apple looked at the ground, opening and closing her mouth as if she wanted to say something but didn't know if she wanted the answer.

"You won't know unless you ask." Cerise stated bluntly.

Apple looked at Cerise, her blue eyes intense.

"Will this affect our story?" there was a note of hysteria but that was beneath layers of scarily leveled control.

"Yes." Cerise confirmed without apology.

"Tell me what you know." Cerise bristled at the order but kept her composure even as her eyes flashed gold.

"I can't tell you every detail, we don't understand much of it ourselves."

"Then tell me the important parts of what you know." Apple countered.

Cerise glared, tilting her head in thought. The story of Snow White had been done with ages ago on Legacy Day, perhaps even when Raven was born if what Briar and the other Royals were hinting at was to be believed. Honestly it was astounding how easily Daring and Lizzie automatically seemed to accept the role change in characters, Royal upbringing indeed! Daring didn't even show a hint of jealousy! Sure him and Apple were, "arranged" to be married and all but the way he had just accepted the fact that he was not Apple's prince gave Cerise a case of mental whiplash.

Although it was a relief that no one who knew seemed inclined to force Raven to be the Evil Queen.

As far as Cerise was concerned Apple should understand that the whole Raven-not-becoming-the-Evil-Queen thing was a permanent fact. For not only Raven's sake but for Apple too, the princess had to come to terms with this.

"What's happened to Raven… it's permanent. For reasons that I can't tell you… she is very literally unable to become the Evil Queen you so desperately want her to be. It's not a choice for Raven either, even if she suddenly wanted to she… she can't Apple. I know that you might try to fix it by doing whatever to make her be the Evil Queen, but trust me-… Just don't ok?"

"But if Raven can't be the Evil Queen then her story will cease to exist!" Apple exclaimed horrified.

Oh for the love of the ancestor forest! Could this girl get anymore dense? Cerise internally bemoaned. Wasn't it obvious by now that that was all a lie created to scare people into their respective characters?

"Yeah well becoming the Evil Queen will end up killing her in a lot more crueler way then sticking to her Rebel cause will." The young wolf snapped, finally too fed up with the other to be all delicate and muck.

"What?" Apple breathed, her heart felt like a frozen block of ice.

"That's what we were in Grimm's office for; to confirm what a lot of people suspected after yesterday, if Raven became the Evil Queen…" Cerise shuddered remembering the stories her gran had told her as a little girl. Of the fairytales that almost were but never quite made it, almost all of them dealt with true love that had gone awry.

"She'll die Apple. The very nature of being evil would be excruciating for Raven. Throughout the whole story she would be in pain… until Raven's body gives out that is."

Cerise balled her hands up in anger ready for a fight, as if miss perfect goody two shoes could possibly get off her high horse long enough to understand anything but her own happy ending and how others viewed her.

That was the annoying thing about Apple as far as Cerise could see; she was the perfect angel for almost everyone but nothing but a bully to people like Raven who had to deal with people screaming that she was nothing but a monster even though she had done nothing to deserve such treatment.

And Apple just had to take things one step further, by trying to lead Raven on to the point where she hoped Raven would lose her cool and do something evil, and then parade Raven around as if she was some sort of circus animal.

At least she seemed to be concerned with whether or not Raven would actually disappear…

Or so Cerise hoped.

As the other girl's nearly shouted remark sunk in, Apple sucked in a breath as if pained, screwing her eyes up and tilting her head towards the high ceiling.

She breathed deeply for a while, resting so still that she looked one with the stone pillar.

Cerise fidgeted, preparing herself for what was next. Preparing to defend Raven's honor if necessary.

Finally the princess opened her eyes. She looked ahead of her with a clear gaze that almost burned.

"Raven's health comes first. I will not let her be hurt because of any changes to her tale."

Cerise blinked, stunned. She had been expecting a freak out, maybe even a tantrum because the princess couldn't deal with not getting her prince or her throne.

"You're… you're really that worried?" Cerise looked at the other curiously, searching for any falsities.

"Of coarse I'm worried!" Apple exploded. "If what your saying is true Raven can't save herself from disappearing by becoming the Evil Queen because she'll… she'll go away anyway because her magic will ki- k- hurt her until s-she can't…"

Apple breathes in deeply focusing her gaze intently on the other girl.

"Raven doesn't deserve that. Her story can't end that way. I won't let it end that way." She stated with such conviction that even Cerise had little doubt that were there an actual threat to Raven's life the blonde would look at whatever it was in the eye and snarl.

The princess stood up swiftly, dialing her mirrorphone, looking ready for battle.

"Hello? Professor Baba Yaga? It's Apple White. I have seen that the color Raven's magic has changed. What time should I take Raven to your office this afternoon?"

No, although Raven may long to write her own destiny despite the consequences, and although this mysterious change in her magic followed by the witch's inability to follow her destiny may be irreversible; she would not allow for Raven to disappear.

She would not stand for it.


	2. The one with all the watching

Author's Note (you're allowed to skip if you'd like, I won't mind): First off; THANK YOU ALL FOR THE LOVELY REVIEWS!

Currently I'm still on the fence about whom Raven will ultimately end up with as I am a fan of both pairings, to me Apple/Raven has a sort of star-crossed-opposites-attract sort of appeal while Cerise/Raven has this thing about two people who can't really be themselves because of outside circumstances that seem to be acting against them… at least that's my viewpoint, the ultimate outcome will be determined by how this story flows.

At any rate thank you once again for the reviews! Now on with the tale!

I do not own EEH nor do I profit from this fanfiction.

XXX

The one with all the watching

As the last class before lunch began Lizzie and Daring managed to seek out and round up all students, save Raven, who had been at that morning's meeting into the Mad Hatter's Tea Shoppe.

"Hey Daring, I understand that you and Lizzie want this meeting to be a secret and all," Cedar looked over the side of the dragon they were riding, "But is this really necessary?"

"Who cares about necessary? This is awesome!" Briar cheered sticking both hands in the air.

Daring sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Well Apple is very good at finding things out. If we all walked over to the same place where lots of other people could see us then she would know."

"Apple is going to be quite curious regarding that meeting we had with Headmaster Grimm, thanks to Raven's explosive rushing out like a bandersnitch out of a weave trap it's already become common knowledge in the halls! And as a true future queen; if the common peasants know something then she will know something too." Lizzie explained. "Land here Charming."

They parked their dragon in a thicket of trees behind the Tea Shoppe and snuck in through the back entrance, which was being held open by Earl Grey.

True to its nature the back area of the Wonderland themed shoppe was just as mad as the front where all of the customers were. With a bunch of random doors in their current area as well.

"In here!" Maddie opened one of the doors situated sideways next to a window.

On the other side was an infinite looking black space with clock face themed furniture a few feet away from the now vertical door.

"Welcome to the break room!" Maddie proudly declared. "Anyone want some tea?"

"Good work Hatter." Lizzie praised. "Now we just have to wait for Kitty and Cerise to get here-"

In a blink Cerise was standing next to the future Queen of Hearts. "You rang?"

A chuckle and a smile appearing in mid air announced Kitty's appearance.

"What's she doing here?" Cerise grumbled, still a bit edgy considering the chaotic cat girl knew her wolfish secret.

"Don't worry Cerise, as Kitty has explained to me, Lizzie, and the narrators she won't interfere for now." Maddie soothed pouring seven cups of tea. Everyone but the wolf and the cat sat down.

"It's true." Kitty purred winking into visibility. "Not only has my Queen set me on a quest of being the Royal final line of matchmaking but the whole situation is just… very intriguing."

"Oh I'm sure." The wolf growled.

"It's the truth! I'm only here to watch, and only to act if it is absolutely necessary. And besides why would I want to create chaos when everything is so lovely and utterly mad already?"

Cerise narrowed her eyes in suspicion until a thought came to her. "That was you? You were the one to whistle earlier this morning when Raven, Apple, and I were in their room?" she pointed accusingly at the grinning culprit.

"Indeed! I had no idea that innocent little Raven would know how to recite erotic rittleish poetry!" The feline girl seemed immensely pleased and excited like a cat that was eyeing a dangling piece of string.

"Pardon?" Lizzie asked halfway through a sandwich.

"According to fare Apple back during midterms when little Raven fell delirious through sickness and cold she declared her love for Apple through riddleish poetry!" Kitty proceeded to recite the verse she had heard earlier that morning.

The two other Wonderlandians blushed healthily, while Earl Grey merely covered both paws over his mouth in shock. Maddie hid her face behind a particularly large teacup and Lizzie dropped her sandwich.

"Kitty that is far too explicit! Wait, little innocent Raven said that?" Lizzie inquired, shocked.

"Yep!" Kitty sounded proud for some reason.

"Raven had contracted a rather high fever." Maddie defended. "Luckily Apple could not understand a word and I was able to convince the fare one that it was just an innocent string of words… comparing the fare one to flowers."

Lizzie choked out a barked laugh. "Flowers indeed!"

The ones who could not understand the riddleish verse looked at each other before silently agreeing that they probably did not want to know the translation.

"So you're saying that Raven has known her feelings for Apple since before midterms?" Daring asked for clarification.

"Apparently", would be an understated word to use." Lizzie looked awestruck in a morbidly fascinated sort of way.

"Well this is good news!" The boy smiled.

"Why are you so happy?" Cerise asked finally sitting down and loading her plate with turkey sandwiches. "Aren't you jealous that Raven is your future wife's true love and not you?"

"Not really, no." Daring shrugged. "It actually makes sense I guess you could say. Father had always told me that I will one day come to love my intended more than I did myself, which has not happened, I thought that it would but…" he whips out a mirror and stares fondly at his reflection, "I can no longer lie to myself and say that it will, I am very charming after all."

He looks up to see everyone staring at him.

He puts away the mirror and clears his throat.

"Besides, now that I no longer have a role to play in the tale of Snow White, I feel as though those two should follow their hearts to one another and use the power of true love to become their own fairytale! They just looked so good together in that portrait yes?"

"… That's oddly Rebellious of you." Cerise replied slowly. "Same to you too Lizzie."

The Royals chuckled.

"Hardly rebellious hooded one." Lizzie replied sagely. "It's more like we're… answering to a higher power."

"Huh?" Says Cerise.

"True love must triumph over all obstacles, that is what our fairytale ancestors have taught us. Without true love we would not be here, so when a rare case of _true_, True Love is presented to us as Royals we must honor that sacred ability to break all curses and twist destinies anew." Lizzie wisely told them.

"Don't get us wrong we are still… uncertain about your Rebel cause, but that's your stories not ours so as long as no one starts disappearing it's none of our business. … But now we know that Raven has a legitimate power that gives her the right to not only change her destiny but make Apple happy forever after, we as Royals must do what we can to aide for a happy ending." Daring finished smiling nostalgically.

While Cerise looked at the boy utterly speechless Cedar smiled at Daring. "They did look hexelant together." The wooden girl admitted. "And they do make each other really happy when they can put aside their differences. They have also solved a lot of problems by working together."

"Like a Queen and her Lady." Lizzie remarked. "Quite the prequel to how they'll become the grand rulers of their kingdom one day."

"Whoa, whoa, _whoa_. Lets not get ahead of ourselves guys." Briar brought everyone back down from the clouds. "There's still no guarantee that those two will actually get together. Apple wants her fairytale and prince and Raven doesn't want Apple to settle for her just because true love says they should."

Daring sighed. "And that's the downside to this potentially cannon couple."

"Cannon… what?" Cerise asked.

"Err… nothing! ... Just a term that I picked up… somewhere."

"Right." The hooded girl said slowly.

"Briar is right." Maddie hummed. "The workings of the heart are not simple and there is no guarantee that Raven will end up together with Apple at the end of all this. You all will have to tread carefully to make sure neither gets hurt."

"Us all? Not you?" Daring asked.

Lizzie looks to her future subject. "Maddie has made it clear that she will not interfere with matters regarding Raven's heart."

"Not unless Raven wants to woo fare Apple… or needs time away to mend a broken heart. Whichever.

"Maddie's got a point." Cerise nodded. "Besides just because it's not true love doesn't mean that Raven can't find love and happiness on her own. Unless both Raven and Apple want to give each other a try, I think that I'll stick with Maddie on this and stay on the sidelines."

"For Apple's side in this I'll try to stay neutral too… I might be willing to help Raven understand Apple better, but like Maddie I'll only get seriously involved if Apple really wants to try things out with Raven. Sorry Lizzie." Briar mumbles guiltily.

"Quite alright Briar." The hearts girl says easily. "True Love is not a thing to be trifled with and we needed a neutral party for Apple anyways."

"What about you Cedar?" Daring turns to the girl beside him.

"Well…" the girl contemplated. "I want to help both Apple and Raven find happiness… but I'm cursed to tell the truth so if Apple asks anything she'll find out about Raven being her true love, and that her magic has changed color! And Raven wouldn't be too happy if she finds out about what we are doing right now…"

"Actually," Cerise coughs, "Now would be the right time to mention that Apple knows about Raven's magic changing color."

"What?" almost the entire table exclaims.

"It seems that Little Raven's magic couldn't help but bask in the presence of Apple White." Kitty informed. "It gave our princess quite the shock."

"She… Apple also demanded that I tell her what I knew." Cerise coughed under the full stare of everyone. "I didn't say a word about the whole true love thing but I did tell her that getting Raven to become the Evil Queen was completely out of the question."

She looked to the side eyes glazed. "Apple really surprised me, I had just told her that her perfect fairytale ending would not come true and she was more worried about Raven disappearing than she was worried about becoming the next Snow White."

Briar sighed. "Of course she's worried Cerise, Apple still believes that everyone will disappear if their stories aren't told. The Headmaster has even approached her a little less than three weeks ago with the idea of finding a replacement for Raven as the Evil Queen. That conversation did not go over well, and that was the reason she was in such a funk recently."

"So that was why!" Lizzie sliced a sandwich cleanly in half, going through the pate in the process. "I was wondering what had caused her to get into such a gloomyish mood."

"Wait a splinter this might actually help us!" Cedar beamed.

"What do you mean?" Cerise asked cautiously.

"I think I might have an idea." Daring started sounding excited. "Go ahead Cedar."

"Well since we have to be hextra super carful making sure that Raven doesn't know what we're doing and that Apple doesn't know that Raven is her one true love until after they get together… I was thinking that maybe we should let the current situation continue and only help things along when it's needed and when we can get away with it?" Cedar looked around the table questioningly.

"That was just what I was thinking! Great minds think alike right Cedar?" Daring slung an arm jovially around the blushing girl.

Lizzie hummed. "Sounds acceptable. Kitty if you would."

"Mission eye spy accepted!" Kitty saluted disappearing.

"She was looking for an excuse to leave here and spy on Raven an Apple having lunch, wasn't she?" Cerise muttered dryly.

Earl Grey squeaked in agreement.

"Kitty is drawn to chaos and things that will amuse her." Maddie shrugged. "To her this is like a once I a lifetime opportunity to see the sky turn green and the grass pink, only a lot more interesting."

Briar bit her lip considering.

"As long as neither Apple nor Raven gets hurt I suppose there is no harm in seeing if there is any sort of hope for those two, so I can't object…"

"Good! Then we are agreed?" Lizzie asked around the table.

Hesitant and enthusiastic nods all around are her answer.

"Then let Operation True Love commence!" The girl of hearts sliced a teacup in half, the contents strangely being held inside with some unknown Wonderland force.

XXX

Despite being knocked out cold the previous evening Raven found herself so exhausted from the events that morning that she spent most of the morning napping between bouts of numbly looking at the canopy over her bed with wet eyes, feeling far too scraped open and exposed to do anything else.

The image of that portrait burned behind her eyelids as she slept, it was just a still picture in her mind's eye but it was enough for her eyes to burn with little traces of tears, which was an odd occurrence in of itself seeing as Raven very rarely cried.

In fact she could count the times on one hand that she could remember herself crying. Yesterday when she had seen Apple's lifeless form was the first time in years that she had managed to get more than just a few tears to escape, and then after she had kissed Apple there seemed to be no end to them.

At the time she had been too preoccupied to examine her sudden ability to cry, what with the fear of Apple not coming to and the shock of everything that had transpired but for some reason the uninhibited emotions that flowed through her body as she kneeled by her roommate's bedside had somehow been enough to defy her mother's curse.

Long ago she had sadly asked her father if she was a monster because she could not cry even if she wanted to, he had sat her tiny frame upon his large knee and told her that the reason she could not cry no matter how much she wanted to, was because her mother had placed a curse upon her.

Tears of his own welling up as if some fatherly instinct insisted that if she couldn't cry at the news he was going to do the crying for her, he told her that as she got older strangers would take one look at her heritage and use it as an excuse to fear her, that because she was so very un-Evil Queen-like at a very young age her mother took steps to insure that little to no tears would hinder the image she must portray.

She wanted so badly to have been able to join her father's tears with her own in that moment.

At the memory of that day Raven's half-sleeping mind could feel more tears falling down her face.

Suddenly the idea of having the freedom to cry at the pain felt euphoric.

As an act of pure rebellion towards her mother Raven summoned up more tears to trail down in small rivers, all of that bottled up pain and frustration she was forced to endure her entire life flowed out leaving behind a Raven that felt tired but clean.

The girl barely registered the soft touch of gentle cloth covered hands on her face but the recognizable hum of her magic and the solid body that embraced her brought Raven swimming back into the conscious world to find Apple holding her.

She tried talking around the thick lump in her throat but could not choke out any distinguishable words to form a sentence.

"Hush Raven, hush, hush." Apple soothed rocking Raven back and forth much in the same way Cerise did the previous night.

Now unable to quell the shuddering sobs Raven could do little else but allow Apple to situate the witch to lay between the princess's legs and rest her head on the other's chest. The highly embarrassing position and wearing little else but her underwear barely registering as Raven found herself more preoccupied with trying to handle the onslaught of tears and the foreign sensation of sobs pushing air out of her lungs.

It took a while, which actually surprised Raven, before the sobs turned to small hiccups and the tears stemmed to a stop leaving drying cheeks and sore eyes.

"I was able to cry." The hoarse witch mumbled awed into Apple's shirt. "Never been able 't do that b'fore. I sowrry if I-" she hiccupped having to stop for a minute and breathe, "didn't want 't worry you. I just couldn't stop."

"You've never been able to cry?" Apple asked surprised, sounding a little hoarse herself.

"Never been able to do more than shed a few tears every once in a while; no matter how much I wanted to just let myself cry and let all the hurt out… I- I couldn't! The hex would not allow it. Daddy says that I cried a lot when I was tiny, but Evil Queens aren't supposed to cry so mother took care of it." Unconsciously Raven leaned a little further into Apple and shook slightly.

At Raven's words something in Apple's belly froze. With Raven's usual kind and un-evil nature it was difficult to remember sometimes that the witch's upbringing was vastly different to Apple's.

Vaguely in one of her earliest memories the princess could remember Snow White passionately telling her very little daughter to never ever keep the bottled up tears from flowing when she was in pain. Apple remembers it being sunny that day, the smell of a freshly opened box of crayons, and being confused because as far as Apple could tell she didn't hurt anywhere.

The thought that Raven was not allowed to cry… it was so incredibly wrong and yet it made some terrible sense.

She had deduced a long time ago that Raven's relationship with her mother was strained to nonexistent but the way Raven had just confessed that her own mother had cursed her as a little girl and seemed to snuggle closer to Apple as if she was trying to hide from the memory of _that_ woman-

The witch made a little pained whine and Apple loosened her tight hold slightly, taking deep breaths and combing fingers through dark tresses to calm down.

Until the princess had looked down and realized that she had moved some of Raven's hair away from her back and exposed the presence of old scars.

When Apple tensed and gently ran gloved fingers over a particularly gnarled scar at the base of Raven's neck did the witch realize that she was practically naked and not only that but if all the old hexes were being broken then that also meant that the concealment spells had been too.

As if she had touched a live wire Raven tried to both jerk away from Apple's arms and feel around for her blanket to cover herself with. Apple just squeezed the witch close keeping the struggling girl relatively still with an iron strength that was so unlike the princess's damsel image.

"Don't look!" Raven cried out in desperation, but it was too late. To Raven's mortification Apple unclasped her bra with a flick of her wrist exposing more scars that had been expertly placed in areas where no one would notice them unless Raven had stripped naked and moved her mass of hair to the side.

A thought hit Apple and ignoring the other's protests briefly managed to lift the edge of the witch's purple girl briefs to see evidence of scaring there as well.

"Kingdoms!" Apple cursed snapping her fingers for Raven's crow familiars to drape the large woolen blanket over the two of them.

"Apple let go! Please!" Apple did as the outraged witch requested, getting a glimpse of old scar tissue across Raven's chest and sides, before the other hid herself in a ball of woolen blanket.

Apple allowed for a moment of un-princess-like behavior letting her head fall back and cursing every bad word she knew. The blonde stumbled a bit not at all used to using such uncouth language but that did not quell the passion behind the words.

From across the bed Raven felt her indignation and mortification snap into shock unable to do anything but gape at the foul mouthed princess from her makeshift blanket-hood.

For a while after the curses petered out Apple burned holes into the canopy her hands making disturbing strangling motions.

"Apple?" Raven's voice was a pitch or three higher than normal.

Apple sighed visibly deflating, her eyes softened but she did not look away from the canopy.

"I'm so sorry Raven." She said with feeling but for the scars or for the blatant invasion of her privacy Raven was not sure. "You don't have to tell me anything until you're ready. I just- I never knew you had those, we're roommates and I never saw them."

Never saw them, never noticed them, how could she have not-

Then again Apple had never seen Raven in anything but high collars and fairly conservative clothing, even when the witch was wearing pajamas, she had just assumed that it was an Evil Queen thing but now…

She sat up looking very, very regal; Raven squirmed slightly under the princess's piercing gaze.

The witch bit her entire bottom lip looking at the princess with a considering stare, already deciding that she'd keep the little tidbit about the reason why Apple had never seen her scars was because she had Maddie help her set up concealment spells over them if certain parts of her skin became visible to a certain amount of light.

Not only would that lead to more questions but Raven really didn't want to give more about herself up to Apple right now.

She wanted to feel angry, and she was mad up to a point, but the shock of the fairest Apple White using words like that- fairytale! The fact that Apple was able to say those words at all had given the witch enough pause to consider that familiar set in the princess's jaw and knew from experience that Apple was not going anywhere and any arguments made about respecting boundaries would fall upon deaf ears.

Apple would never feel remorse for making sure the people close to her were all right; personal space and boundaries could just take a hike.

"I've already overstepped my bounds so I won't push… I propose we forget that the last few moments happened, eat our lunch and speak of nice sparkly things. Ok?" Raven thought it over for a moment tempted to just curl up under the bed and just disappear, but really what could she do? She did not feel like fighting at the moment. Raven focused on the princess finding herself feeling disquieted at Apple's innocent smile clashing with that intense look, so with an exasperated sigh she let it drop with a curt nod.

Apple seemed to deflate a little in relief jumping off the bed and heading to her own desk where there were two takeout trays of hot food.

"Professor Baba Yaga told us to head to her lab starting the last class period of today." The princess informed, already back to business moving her desk out and arranging the food placed on it so that it became a table for two. She kept her back to Raven knowing that she had no right at this point to face Raven in her current undressed state.

The princess fought down the urge to fuss over the witch's old wounds or make any more remarks towards them, even though she wanted nothing more than to get the full tale of what the Evil Queen had done to her own daughter, Apple knew that she had already crossed a big fat red line.

She was lucky enough that Raven seemed to be at least a bit understanding to her shock, and that the witch's legendary patience had seemed to prevent Apple from getting kicked out. Although Apple knew that if she pushed any further this precarious pseudo-calm would be shattered and Raven would just push her away.

That was the last thing Apple wanted to have happen, especially considering Raven's potentially fatal condition! She'd make it up to the witch by being the best friend-roommate forever after and keep the matter a secret while respecting the witch's personal boundaries until Raven herself decided to let Apple in.

Apple hoped that Raven would one day confide in her, refraining from investigating would be torturous but as a princess and the future Snow White she could content herself to wait forever after if that's what it took for Raven to entrust her with her secrets.

"That's good to know. Thank you Apple." Raven scurried to put on her robe while Apple was still politely looking away.

"Hey it's no problem, anything to make sure my roommate and friend is going to be ok." The princess's voice wobbled slightly.

"Oh I'm sure that I'll be fine I mean my magic's just changed color… I'll be fine. It should be fine." Raven could practically hear the contradicting worry in her voice, so she looked down missing Apple flinch.

"Yes I'm super-duper certain that it'll be ok Raven." Apple commented with as much false cheer as she could muster.

"That soup smells delicious! What kind is it?" The witch quickly switched subjects.

Relieved Apple nobly kept up the small talk as the two sat down to eat, the conversation was awkward and more than once one or the other tried to fill in stretches of silence with some sort of sound, anything to keep down the inner thoughts of turmoil.

Taking a piece of cheese bread and using it to sop up the remainder of her soup Raven was only half listening to Apple go one about how her and Raven's birds seem to be getting along really well when she glanced at the clock.

"Oh shoot Apple! You're really late for class!"

Apple just smiled and giggled a little bit. "Silly, Professor Baba Yaga allowed for me to get the afternoon off so that I can keep you company and observe your condition." And Apple was going to observe! She would not allow Raven to disappear she refused to allow it!

Raven smiled kindly even as her brain became suspicious that having Apple "observe" sounded more like an excuse for Apple and Raven to be alone.

The young witch would have never pegged her instructor as the hopelessly romantic type, let alone a matchmaker… the thought was incredibly disturbing.

"Well there isn't that much to observe, I mean aside from being very emotional and the color of my magic nothing else feels different." Aside from the sinking feeling that every Royal that knows will be pouring over matching wedding dresses, and thinking up baby names for that child that will, heartbreakingly, never be.

Ancestors of the night! Raven internally cursed a dawning thought of horror descending upon her shoulders. Come to think of it those two Royals seemed awfully accepting of the supposed "change in fairytales" that morning. Knowing the Royal mentality of following the stories to the letter, and practically worshipping True Love…

The witch hoped that Maddie would play interference long enough for Raven to take the mad girl aside later to gauge what Lizzie, Charming, and whomever else in that group that was lassoed into any potential plan will be up to.

"Raven? Did you hear me?" Raven jumped out of her thoughts at Apple's voice and then jumped again upon seeing how close the other girl was to her face.

"Apple! I uh…" Raven leaned back trying to think of an excuse for her behavior without making Apple worry. "I… was just lost in thought, um… could you repeat that?" The witch finished lamely.

The princess nodded gravely knowing that the other had a lot to think about. "I said that we can stream a movie on the mirrornet, or we can check out this new plant that has popped up all over the place since yesterday."

The witch immediately perked up at the promise of examining the new plant, she had forgotten all about it.

"I guess that settles that." Apple laughed. "I heard on the grapevine that a certain hatter called them "Bleeding Rebel Hearts" and now the name has stuck. I gotta say the pretty flowers do look a lot like that emblem Earl Grey made for you guys, speaking of which do you think that he could make something for the Royals?"

Finally the tension between the two dissipated, Apple just shook her head in amusement as Raven eagerly gathered supplies and some comfortable clothing. Honestly, the witch looked like a little kid preparing to go to a Candyland theme park.

"Just Promise me that I won't wake up to giant dust mites." Apple instructed Raven with a teasing smile when the other girl emerged from the bathroom wearing a pair of old black skinny jeans, a t-shirt that had stains covering the dark-blue fabric, and a purple high collared cotton jacket that Apple remembered getting the witch as a part of her "Evil Queen wardrobe gift" when the two first became roommates.

Apple made a mental note to take the witch shopping for some stylish outdoor work outfits, the shirt and jeans that Raven was currently wearing looked old and borderline tattered, most likely what the witch had left from her old wardrobe. Apple still sometimes reeled at the knowledge that before the princess had set out to become Raven's frienemmy Raven had just enough similar Evil Queen dresses to last her the week and one fancy ballroom outfit, the rest had been grungy work clothes that weren't very Evil Queen-like or flattering in general.

That was very strange to Apple, as far as she was concerned no girl let alone a Queen would normally allow for such a measly selection if they could help it, she knew that Raven wasn't exactly hurting for money, having ancient royal bloodlines and inheriting rich lands that produced some of the best dark magic agricultural crops that made up eighty percent of the industry's supply, that and the fact that her father seemed to be some sort of noble if the occasional care package sent with that mysterious seal had anything to say.

It was a confusing mystery as to the identity of Raven's father, the seal he used was common to find, especially in the various Charming families, but it lacked any sort of family name or other identifying mark.

But there was little doubt to Apple that whoever sends those packages to Raven must love her very much. Apple smirked suspecting this person still saw the nearly grown witch as a little tiny witchling, remembering how bemused Raven always looked when holding up some stuffed plushie or a bobble from an exotic land that might interest a little girl more than a nearly grown woman, despite this Raven would reverently place her gift somewhere where she could always see it or in that plain box that she keeps under her bed to take out and go through on more quiet nights.

Raven grinned at Apple breaking the princess out of her revere'. "Don't worry I have no intention of having a bunch of giant mites inhabit the same place where we sleep, or to invoke Cerise's wrath for waking her up at four in the morning." Her eyes danced at the memory of the entire boy's dorm shrieking and cowering behind a tired and annoyed Cerise who used both her speed and wolfish strength to exterminate the cause of such shrill screams so early in the morning.

"It would really be a problem for the two of us if we had to hide from Cerise's wrath for a few weeks." Apple agreed smothering her laughter, trying to keep a composed face and failing. She couldn't help but feel sorry for Billy and his roommate, the both of them having to adorn disguises to hide from the hooded girl, Billy was hiding because of obvious reasons and Billy's roommate didn't want to be caught in the middle because being the boy's roommate meant that he'd be the first person Cerise would corner and interrogate to Billy's whereabouts.

"They didn't have to "hide" from her for so long." Raven pointed out. "She was only irritated until she got some decent sleep, and besides Cerise was able to make those two out the first day they decided to "disguise" themselves." Along with super speed and strength Cerise had also inherited a super sense of smell, even if the two had known about the girl's heritage it would be very difficult to disguise the scent of goat.

Also paper mustaches and cowboy hats kind of made the two standout more than blend in.

"I think the whole school made them out the first day." Apple agreed giggling.

The two left their dorm still giggling to themselves; once the door closed a familiar Cheshire girl appeared, her head cocked to the side in a curious manner.

"My, my, my, it seems like the little witch has more to her story than at first blush." She walked to the little picture filled hallway leading to the dorm room door.

"As long as my darling Hatter and the little witch do not find out I'm sure this curious kitten will land on her feet… Hopefully." She fingered a frame of Raven and Maddie as small children having a tea party. They were obviously not in the grounds of their old Nursery Rhyme school or in Wonderland.

"One must start at the beginning after all." Kitty mused to herself carefully taking the frame off the wall as to make certain that there were no protective security measures placed upon it. One could never be too careful with magic users.

She popped the backing smirking at the fancy writing on the back of the photo.

_The Little Miss with her first companion, Maddeline, having tea at the family Pendragon Castle and Estate._

XXX

From his spot by the Headmaster's large study window Giles Grimm smiled warmly as he watched Raven carefully document one of the Bleeding Rebel Heart plants located in the shade of one of the decorative trees littering the lawn, taking pictures and soil samples like the studious seeker of knowledge the young witch was proving to become.

Not too far away Apple White delicately bent down and curiously poked the flowers of one of the new plants that had sprung up overnight. Most of her attention was trained on Raven her visible features filled with fondness and worry.

"This is quite the conundrum we've found ourselves in isn't it dear brother."

Milton Grimm made an acknowledging sound not looking up from scowering through one of the large open ancient tomes lying haphazardly about a large oak table. The Headmaster leaned heavily on his cane, half standing out of his seat as if the uncomfortable position coupled with his squinty-eyed stare would disturb the books into giving up all the answers he was seeking.

"I think, now correct me if I'm wrong, that the nice healers said for you to keep from putting too much strain on your good leg. Also if you need to squint so much I suggest you may need reading glasses." Giles sounded amused fiddling with his own glasses. "Unless, of course, you're using some form of magical searching technique that I haven't heard about."

"Glasses are for old people." The other grumped but hobbled to the window-seat next to his brother and eased himself down with a pained groan.

Giles barked a laugh. "I'm sorry to inform you brother but we are both old."

"We are?" the Headmaster made a show to look at their reflections in the window. "Oh dear! When did that happened?"

The two guffawed at their privet joke. The two tried to laugh more than fight nowadays; it helped greatly in rebuilding their friendship.

"Is that Miss White and Miss Queen down there?" The Headmaster asked curiously.

"It seems the two are investigating the new Rebel Bleeding Hearts." Giles confirmed.

"…The entire school is calling them that aren't they." It was a statement.

"Indeed they are. I suspect that by the end of the week that will be the official name of the plant."

"Shouldn't Miss White be in classes?"

"Ah yes, I forgot to warn you, Madam Baba Yaga sent me one of those mirror messages-"

"A hext."

"Yes thank you, a hext informing me to tell you that she has excused Apple from today's classes because the girl accidently witnessed Raven's new colored magic and so she might as well observe Raven in the afternoon instead of badgering Madam Baba Yaga for possible causes or ailments every class break and time between classes." Giles snickered remembering how the witch crone's dry tone bled through her typed words.

"Witnessed?" The Headmaster observed Apple a little more closely, taking note of the way the princess was hovering over the witch a little like the healer had hovered over him after the unicorn and fire… incidents, the difference being that Miss White seemed to be far less sharp tongued and overall irritated than Healer Phalange.

On closer inspection Miss White seemed to be very interested in what Miss Queen was doing even rubbing the witch's shoulders when the girl stood up to stretch. The princess held the witch still even when the other's white magical aura flared slightly causing the witch to jump in embarrassment; Miss White sympathetically consoled Miss Queen when the witch seemed to be stuttering out apologies.

Healer Phalange was never sympathetic when he was held up in the infirmary; the only positive emotion he had ever received from the woman was when she received the full report of how he got into her care.

He still felt that both situations were not nearly as funny as to warrant the woman having a laughing fit on the floor.

Ignoring his brother's pout with a collected face and practice ease Giles continued. "Apparently, as you have just seen, Raven's white magic is very fond of Apple's presence."

"Of course it is." Came the exasperated reply. The headmaster paused moving closer to the window. "Is Miss Queen wearing trousers?"

"You are not seriously considering enforcing the outdated "maidens must adorn skirts" rule are you? Especially considering the both of them have been excused for the day?" Giles leaned back already knowing the outcome to the potential argument.

Instead to Giles's relief his brother just laughed. "And have to face down the entire female population of the school? Come now brother even I have more self-preservation than that."

Giles opens his mouth.

The Headmaster cuts him off with a raised finger. "Those incidents do not count. I've never been chased down by an angry mob thus far."

"I certainly hope that never happens." Giles nodded sincerely. "I do not want to have to run this place by myself."

"I love you too brother dear."

The two chuckled falling into an easy silence.

"You are right." The Headmaster murmurs after a while. "This is quite the conundrum we've found ourselves in."

"True Love is never as easy as our fairytales make it seem." Giles sighs.

"The situation was bad enough when it was just about the Royals and Rebels! Now things have become infinitely more complicated, not to mention dangerous!" The Headmaster stared at the two girls in worry.

"You are that worried for them?"

"Of coarse I am. You know the tales just as well as I do, the warnings, prophecies, not to mention that there hasn't been a case of True Love in ages; long before any sufficient research was even considered to be conducted on it, and by simply having this True Love bond they invite the potential for great perils that we cannot predict because there is such insufficient information on the matter! We're essentially flying blind!" He shot a baleful glare toward the unhelpful tomes.

Giles regarded the two outside. "I think that the both of them are strong enough to get through this. Ending up happily ever after together or not, they will survive this." He declared with absolute certainty. "Maybe they might even be strong enough to have new tales be possible again." He's careful not to mention destinies, the two still vastly divided on whether the descendants of fairytale characters should be allowed a choice to follow in their parents footsteps or not. It was a very sore issue with them.

The Headmaster shook his head. "For that to happen they must overcome a great evil, an evil just like the one that had caused the Book of Legends to be written in the first place, to protect our world. If our ancestors couldn't vanquish it then what make you think that they can?"

"For one the two of them are the fearless leaders of the Rebel and Royal factions, if they commanded it they'd have an army of fairytale characters behind them. Those two hold a lot of sway on their own, just imagine what could happen if they worked together. And besides True Love they have one more advantage over the great evil."

"And what is that?"

"Us brother. We had managed to stop _her_ once we can certainly foil her plans once again if need be."

The Headmaster blinked in surprise. "You think that _she_ is the great evil?"

"No Evil Queen or any other storybook villain has ever shown such determination to have our world fall into darkness and flames." Giles says gravely.

The Headmaster digests this information or a moment; he focuses back to his students who are carefully placing a third plant into another floating flowerpot the ceramic containers glowing softly under the influence of Raven Queen's enchantment. Apple White is making grand thinking gestures probably deciding where would be the best places to put their new plants in their dorm.

"Even so a little more precautions and research would be for the best." He declared lurching to his feet. "Even imprisoned in a mirror she still has considerable influence and patience, no doubt she is just waiting for the perfect moment to strike."

Giles follows his brother up and makes sure that the other has seated fully at his desk chair. "I'll get a few books on strong protection spells from beneath the library you've just given me an idea…"

XXX

Tiny had always been a shy but observant fellow, an embodiment to the phrase "gentle giant", or so his classmates have told him. He always blushed and got a little flustered whenever anyone would say that about him, in all honesty a big part of why he had to be so gentle was because... well, he was the _only_ giant at Ever After High and because of that he had to be very careful not to step on anyone!

As a result of having to constantly watch his step over the years since Nursery Rhyme School Tiny became very observant of the things that happened around him, often spotting things that his other classmates seemed to miss.

So as he sat in Professor Jack B. Nimble's class, a class that usually grabbed the attention of even the most sleep deprived student, he found himself distracted over something he had witnessed yesterday.

Granted having Raven Queen and Cerise Hood pop up out of nowhere was something that would be difficult to miss (especially since Raven as the leader of the Rebels always stood out to him. He'd always- figuratively- looked up to Raven and her beliefs in choosing one's own path) but this time there was something different about the witch.

Being a giant Tiny didn't know very much about witches or the magic that they worked with, but he did strongly suspect that Raven's normally pretty purple magic suddenly turning white was at the very least slightly alarming.

As if in response to his thoughts the giant's eye caught sight of Raven and Apple calmly walking the white graveled path outside the window, three floating pots of that new plant trailing behind them.

Tiny blinked not sure what was stranger; Apple and Raven skipping class to harvest a plant, the fact that the floating pots were glowing a faint white, or the entire scene as a whole.

Well at least he now knew that he hadn't been seeing things earlier.

Tiny glanced around the classroom seeing that no one was paying the windows or the girls any mind, more preoccupied with talking amongst themselves and putting supplies away in preparation for the bell that was going to ring in a few minutes.

"Is there something the matter Tiny?" Came Ashlynn Ella's soft tone causing the giant to jump slightly. From beside the girl her boyfriend Hunter Huntsman gave Tiny the same curious look.

Without a word he pointed to the window where the couple was able to briefly catch the odd scene before the princess and witch disappeared from view.

"Well that's… strange." Hunter commented after a pause.

"I'm worried about Raven." Tiny blurted unable to keep his feelings bottled up any longer.

"Why's that Tiny? Is it because this morning she was running through the school all upset?" Ashlynn asked, understanding written across the shoe loving girl's features.

"Kinda, although I think I know why she was so upset." The giant answered.

"Really?" The girl prompted.

Tiny hesitated. "Did you guys see the color of Raven's enchantment on the flower pots?"

Ashlynn's eyes widened in sudden understanding, it took Hunter a little longer for things to click.

"I don't quite get where you're going buddy, I mean the color of Raven's magic was its usual white color-" The boy halted, turned towards the window despite the fact that the witch in question was not there anymore, then turned to the other two, finally getting it.

"Raven's magic has changed color!" The Huntsman shouted.

"What?" Goldie Lockes and C.A. Cupid turned around in their seats.

"It's true," Tiny told them looking very worried. "Yesterday when Raven ran through the school all upset I saw her use her magic, but instead of her usual purple color, her magic was a bright white!"

"We just saw Raven walk passed the window just now and saw the same thing!" Hunter exclaimed looking just as worried as Tiny, after all Raven was one of his very best pals especially after she had made it clear to everyone that she completely supported him and Ashlynn as a couple one hundred and ten percent when the two of them went public to the school about their relationship.

And she could also make these really nice smelling girly lotions and potions that Ashlynn just loved to get as gifts from him. The witch understood that commercialized lady stuff was way overpriced!

"That doesn't sound very… healthy." Duchess Swan chimed in from her seat across them.

"That's because it isn't! It can't be!" Billy popped in having walked from his seat across the room to hear them better.

"Billy's right." Said Poppy O'Hair. "The color of someone's magic doesn't just change on its own! I once read of a wizard whose magic changed color after fighting some freaky powerful warlock before…"

"Before what?" Humphry Dumpty asked.

"Something bad happened… I think. The Evil Step Mothers took the book I was reading away before I could finish." The shorthaired girl received a few brief looks of understanding, the two school librarians she mentioned having built a reputation for being very strict, and more than a little crazy, about the goings on of their domain.

Melody Piper Hummed, thinking things over. "Ya know… I heard that Raven was one of the people who was directly exposed to that funky lightshow yesterday, I also heard that Raven was the only witch in that room. What if she was affected differently than the others, I mean that whole light thing was freaky powerful right? And magic users can be really sensitive to really powerful magic, like how a witch's skin can turn green if their anywhere near a fairy mountain, so the same probably goes for something that was able to turn the sky pink for awhile right?"

There were murmurs of agreement and concentrated faces in the wake of the DJ's statement.

Ashlynn, seeing the calm before the storm, quietly sneaked away retrieving her mirrorphone as she headed for the door, things were going to get out of hand fast, and she needed to warn Briar now.

"Does this mean that something bad will happen to Raven?" She heard someone ask.

Ashlynn managed to duck out the door just as the predictable uproar ensued.

XXX

"Still your fidgeting girl, it's not like anyone has ever met a terrible fate from their magic changing color!" Baba Yaga scolded the young witch who was squirming from where she sat inside a magic circle carved into a tall platform.

"But it tickles!" Raven wined, trying her best to keep still even as the glowing runes prodded her ticklish magical core and the glowing blue dome of the magic circle felt like the wings of fairies were brushing against her skin.

"Well of course it does girly." The crone stated as if it should have been obvious. "The energy change is going to be leaving you all tender for a while yet."

"So this has happened before?" Apple asked from her spot beside the elder witch.

"Oh yes, many times. I'd be worried if her magic hadn't changed to be honest, it's a healthy response to being exposed to a life-changing event, or a particularly strong dealing with powerful magic. For example a historical story involving a wizard who vanquished a powerful deranged warlock comes to mind; the wizard lived to a rightful extremely old age. Speaking of which I'd better remember to call him, he still owes me ten dollars."

The two teens grinned at each other both feeling relieved, Raven wasn't going to end up in some terrible fate because of a little color change, one less thing to worry about.

Apple was still concerned about Raven being ultimately erased, although it was good to know that the change in her magic's color would not be a direct cause for any ill towards Raven. The princess eyed her roommate as she twitched on the platform smothering her ticklish squeals with both hands over her mouth, Apple was vaguely aware of Baba Yaga muttering incantations and studying the strange runes that appeared over the smoke from two censures and a large clear caldron filled with water and herbs.

The younger witch seemed much more at peace at the moment, which was a relief to Apple, thinking back to lunch, the Princess had never seen the other so… resigned to fate, like a whipped little thing waiting for the other shoe to drop on top of her.

Apple internally cringed at the analogy, the memory of all those scars…

It was a very unladylike thought to have but if the Evil Queen ever managed to escape her mirrored prison Apple would gleefully lead the angry mob and take that woman to task.

Granted in reality she'd probably end up getting _her_ behind kicked by the wicked woman, but it was ok to dream.

Apple sighed dispelling the rising fire in her belly before she could obsess over it, there were more important things to be concerned about.

Baba Yaga made a pleased hum snuffing out the burning spicy incense and releasing Raven from the magic circle, the younger witch collapsed to her side tired and all too happy to finally be free from the ticklish torture.

"Even though things seem to be on the up and up and non-life threatening I'd still like for you to stop by the infirmary every morning for the foreseeable future so that we can run some long term tests." Baba Yaga instructed jotting something down on a floating parchment.

"A change in your magic's color will mean that certain aspects of your powers will be working differently, for this reason I'd also like it if you took a… lighter approach to some of your evil classes. Curses and hexes are especially finicky when you are relearning how things work… Miss Queen, in light of the change in your nature, some of your classes will have to be dropped, and due to your extremely unusual circumstances we will be substituting your usual classes for a more… "specialized" course." The crone looked at the younger witch over the rim of her spectacles.

Raven groaned; great she was going to be a test subject for the rest of her high school life.

She voiced her complaint, which only earned her a guffaw from the elder.

"You manage to go and somehow make it physically impossible for you to complete your old destiny, and at the same time change the nature of your magic completely, yet you still expected for everything to simply go back to normal?" The elder woman stated without apology or recognition to Raven's warning look.

"By the way I meant to ask earlier, why is it exactly that Raven can't become the Evil Queen?" Apple asked raising a blonde brow towards Raven who was making silencing motions at the professor with her hand.

Raven paused looking at Apple in confusion. "How did you know that I can't become the Evil Queen?"

Apple shrugged looking shifty but not ashamed. "I have my sources."

"Miss Queen is physically unable to cause you any harm, especially with her magic." The crone smugly stated as her pupil eyed her warily.

"What?" Was all that Apple could say.

"Earlier you reported that Miss Queen's magic flares up when you touch her, for things to be made clearer might you hold Miss Queen's hand?" The crone motioned for the princess to move closer to the younger witch, who was at that moment looking at her instructor all squinty eyed and suspicious.

Casting Raven a questioning look Apple took Raven's hand in her own, the young witch's white magical aura immediately surrounded the two.

Baba Yaga nodded to herself as if the scene in front of her wasn't unusual. "Miss Queen's magic is rather fond of you princess, it sees you as an… well I guess in a way the magic sees you as an extension to its mistress, someone who is very precious."

"Precious?" Apple looked bewildered.

"Yes." Raven spoke just barely above a whisper taking Apple's hand in both her own. "Very precious." The witch kept her blushing head down unable to meet the other's eye.

The princess looked wide-eyed between the two witches feeling her world tilt.

"So what would happen if Raven tried to fulfill her part in my story, to poison me?" Apple asked with growing dread.

"Impossible. It's impossible for me to hurt you." Raven stated hoarsely tears brimming her dark eyes, as she looked the other with unwavering certainty. "I'd take myself out long before any poison of my making touched you."

Apple swayed as the room began to spin, she felt Raven guide her to sit on the platform, the witch enveloping the princess in a hug, holding her as if the princess were the only thing that mattered in the whole world.

"A-are you saying that Raven's own magic would…?" Apple whispered horrified.

Baba Yaga shrugged non-committingly as she put supplies away. "It's probably a good thing that Miss Queen had never signed the Book of Legends or her story would have surely ended before it had a chance to begin."

Apple closed her eyes as the crone's words hit her hard. She clung to Raven like a drowning girl to a life preserver; this was so, so wrong! Raven couldn't complete their story or else the witch's magic would- and if she didn't fulfill her destiny then Raven would-

"I just remembered, we need to get a new shower curtain for our bathroom. Raven, go back to the room, lay down, take it easy, maybe have Maddie visit you, I'll be back with dinner in a little while." Apple murmured feeling out of breath, she was too shocked to cry at the moment, but she knew that would soon change and she just wanted some fresh air to freak out properly.

"Ok see you in a bit." Raven nodded letting Apple go.

The princess fled.

"She had to be told." Baba Yaga informed her student still putting things away.

"I know that!" Raven snapped magic flaring up; she immediately drew a calming breath and soothed her magic back into her body. "I'm sorry for that, it's just… the past two days have been very…"

"Eventful?" Supplied the crone not looking at all insulted or fazed by the younger's outburst.

"I think that would actually be an understatement."

"Indeed it is." The elder agreed. "Perhaps it would be best for you to talk about it. Oh don't look so surprised Miss Queen I may be an evil character but I am also an advisor and more importantly a fellow witch, there are matters that I would have a better grasp of."

Indeed Raven was surprised. "No disrespect meant, but I thought that you'd be against this."

The elder raised a brow. "Against the situation or against you as a whole because you are a Rebel?"

Raven coughed. "Well…"

"I am not the Headmaster child, just because my boss is the man who is so frightened of all the _what ifs_ of this world that he can barely enjoy life does not mean that I do not understand your reasoning. I just prefer to stay out of all this Royal verses Rebel nonsense because I have better things to do, like my job, which is to prepare future magic wielders for a world that looks at everything in black and white and ignores all the grey. Now tell me, to your knowledge have I ever treated you differently, or tried to influence you outside of the Headmaster's order?"

The younger witch scrubbed her face knowing that the other held a point. The only times the crone had gotten involved with her Rebel antics were the times that the Headmaster had the elder there in the same room as a sort of legal mediator.

"She's going to think that I'm about to drop dead at any moment, which is just ridiculous even if that rumor where true." The girl admitted.

"Because as a witch you would find a way around that." The crone chuckled.

Raven scoffed. "As if I'd allow to be blown out in such a way, it's a matter of pride after all. But Apple, like a lot of people, has trouble understanding that, I just don't know how I'm going to convince her that that everything will turn out alright in the end."

"That's a bold assumption." Baba Yaga said but her tone indicated a hint of pride at the girl's words.

Raven shrugged. "Wouldn't have said it if I thought I couldn't do it. The one and only good thing that I had inherited from my mother is my stubbornness if anyone tries something because of this whole True Love business they're in for a fight." Her hand erupted in white light a feral glint in her eye.

"Anyone, young one? Not anything? You are expecting someone to cause trouble." Baba Yaga stated; Raven winced at the crone's certainty.

"She won't stay in the mirror forever." The girl nearly whimpered hugging herself.

"No your mother won't." The crone agreed. "Raven Queen, you do know that when that accursed day comes where you will have to deal with that woman once and for all you will not have to do it alone. The Grand Coven will step in when she breaks loose."

The younger witch snapped her head up to the elder. "The Grand- but why? Don't they usually stay out of fairytale business?" The Grand Coven was a powerful organization founded specifically by witches, for the protection of witches and other magic users who had nothing to do with fairytales or destinies; over the years some allowances were made but the magic user had to finish their story first and as a requirement teach their children various non-fairytale magic's as a way of preventing potential future members from being completely oblivious to the various non-fairytale related customs and beliefs.

Raven was technically considered a potential future member, somehow after the coven had rescued her from her mother's care her father had managed to convince a witch named Sandrine Blue Feather to tutor Raven in the ways of natural magic's, something Raven still practiced on the side.

"The Evil Queen made her and you their business." Baba Yaga informed her gravely. "Because of her horrendous crimes, which not only exceeded the acceptable rules that all evil characters must follow, put several realms in danger by poisoning them, but also broke the laws regarding the treatment of her own loomed witchling, she has been branded a traitor that if caught by the council she will be punished fully by their justice system."

Raven's eyes went wide.

The crone gave the girl a sad smile. "Yes young one, I know of your scars. I was called in as a consultant by the Coven and I was there all those years ago when they pulled you out of that horrible place."

Stunned the girl breathed a shaky breath. "Who else knows?"

"Of the faculty, just me, the Coven wanted absolute digression and the Headmaster is not exactly on decent ground with them, that was Mister Giles's job and because he went missing a short time after the Evil Queen was imprisoned he probably doesn't know either. Other than myself, Snow White had been called in, specialists in the Coven were able to extract trace elements of the Evil Queen's magic still in her system from the poisoned apple and used that to track down your location."

"That was _her_? Snow White…" _The woman who had Apple's eyes and hair as dark as night, the woman who smelled of lilacs and sweets and held Raven's aching body close in a strong embrace, clutching the witchling's head to her breast as Raven sobbed dryly._

"You remember her?"

"Yes." Raven shook her head to dispel the old memory.

"That's nice to hear, I'll be sure to tell her and your father that the next we speak."

The younger blinked. "You all keep in touch?"

Baba Yaga smiled knowingly. "Snow White and your father are always keen to hear about their rambunctious children and their causes, it's beneficial to me too after all measly school funds don't pay for half the raw ingredients used in evil classes."

The older woman laughed at Raven's dry look. "Hey I'm _supposed_ to be evil every now and again, that's what I get paid for."

Raven rolled her eyes. "Yeah, only when it suits you."

"That's the spirit child!" The crone cackled.

Raven felt herself settling back down; she chewed her bottom lip in thought for a while as Baba Yaga resumed her task of tidying up.

"About that whole; "my magic sees Apple as an extension of myself" thing, was that true?" The young witch asks.

"As Miss White is your True Love she will always be protected by your magic and, supposedly we will have to test it, she could shape your magic at her will and use it as if it were her own." The older hummed.

"So if something were to happen to me then Apple would be protected?"

The crone hesitates. "…Yes, if it came down to it."

Raven held her hand to her heart. "My Power, my magic, my heart; since Apple would be holding the power of True Love and my heart, the source of my power, my magic, when my mother breaks free-"

"If an entire society of witches, wizards, fairytale characters, and _what-else_ doesn't get to the woman first." Baba Yaga cut in.

"I'd still be able to protect her right? Even if it ends up being unnecessary, Apple will be safe." Raven's eyes were bright with certainty.

Baba Yaga looks at her pupil for a long moment. "There isn't much documentation of the study of True Love, and no record of a witch finding it. It is true that you will be studied incredibly closely, but perhaps through this inconvenience you can devise a way."

"Anything is possible for a witch." Raven reverently spoke the mantra of her former home tutor, and all the witches that she had either met or read about.

"I do believe you stand a chance to survive this girly." Baba Yaga nodded in satisfaction. "Now you best be off and follow your beloved's orders, you will be put through the ringer tomorrow, expect lots of tests from the healers!" The crone cackled gleefully.

Raven trudged out of the room with a groan.

XXX

Apple fled through the trees of the enchanted forest not caring as to where she was going or who saw her.

Raven couldn't be apart of her story and it was her fault.

She had always worried that Raven's selfish Rebel cause would someday be the death of her stubborn friend, the careless way Raven shrugged off her destiny as if it was not important scared Apple.

The princess tried to show the witch that being the bad guy wasn't so bad, sure she'd have to endure a scary bit of time running away from a mob and the authorities, but she'd never really be in any danger, it was play acting for the most part, an ancient ritual that ensured the safety of their world and their continued existence.

And yeah, Raven would have to spend a little bit of time imprisoned inside a mirror but that was the main reason why Apple made it so that they would be roommates. She wasn't just going to leave Raven in some musty old dungeon until the story ended, it was a tradition in the White family for a husband and wife to have separate bedrooms, so when the time came Raven could stay with her in her room and it could've been almost just like being roommates back in high school.

As to the Evil Queen status and role, Apple found it very funny that she'd ever find herself afraid of a girl who still slept with a stuffed animal (no matter where she had found herself fallen asleep in odd places around their room), and was oddly terrified by a fairy creature with big doe eyes and looked like a round ball of fur. So if anything Raven would have one person who would never fear her.

It wasn't ideal but really being a fairytale character didn't always have an ideal ending like Apple's.

But now the choice had been taken out of everyone's hands, and Apple ran the very real risk of losing Raven forever and there seemed to be no way to stop it.

Somehow Apple found herself in a little isolated section of the forest with an elegant gazebo in the shade of the trees. It was the same place that she had ran to that first night when Raven denied her destiny.

The princess stopped chest heaving as she looked around, seeing that she was completely alone.

The roar of her frustrated scream sent all the birds in the area to circle above the trees in a fast halo of feathers.

Sparrow Hood who had been walking not too far away to get to band practice nearly jumped out of his skin at the inhuman screech. The boy looked in the direction of the noise, then looked up to see that half the area's bird population had gone crazy, decided that he liked his insides where they were, that he could call in sick today, and bolted.

Cerise who had also heard the noise watched the strange bird phenomenon curiously, barely blinking as Sparrow ran past her doing his odd scream/singing thing that he tended to do when running away.

Knowing that whatever it was she could either out fight it or out run it Cerise ran to the center of the bird storm.

She found Apple White sitting on a bench, her head in her hands.

It took a bit before the princess noticed the other girl.

"Raven can't become the Evil Queen." She sniffled.

"No she can't." Cerise agreed.

"I was going to take care of her you know, she always looked so lonely that I thought, "hey I can be her friend, I can show her that it wouldn't be all bad" I was going to make her as comfortable as possible until she could be released from her mirror, our kids were supposed to play together and look out for each other while Raven and I laughed about growing old."

"…Sounds romantic." Came the dry response.

"It was supposed to be our happy ending." Apple said miserably.

Cerise held back a snort. "Like a fairytale ending."

"Raven's going to disappear…" Apple whispered horrified. "She can't poison me because her magic will kill her if she hurts me but if she can't become the Evil Queen then she'll…" Tears welled up and fell to the ground.

Cerise looked to the sky, silently asking whom in the higher power department she had ticked off to have to deal with two heart to hearts with _Apple-freaking_-_White_ in one day.

Squaring her shoulders Cerise took the blubbering princess's face and smooshed the surprised girl's cheeks between her hands, looking the princess directly in the eye.

"Question is if such a thing were to happen; just how stubborn are the both of you to make sure that it doesn't? 'Cause I know Raven, and I know that if anyone has a power that can defy destiny then she's the one that'll do it. Now are you going to be sitting around feeling sorry for something that hasn't happened yet? Or are you going to stand by Raven's side and see her through? It's just like you planned before, different circumstances, same idea, will you be able to look after her?"

Cerise let Apple go and in a blink the hooded girl was gone, leaving the princess to gape at the spot where the other had stood.

Apple mulled over Cerise's words as she walked out of the forest, did some shopping, and strolled around the girl's dorm on autopilot wondering if it was safe for her to feel that little ember of hope.

"I'm back." She heard herself call.

Raven perked up, getting up from studying one of the new plants by the shade of the balcony and rushing to greet her.

"What kind did you get?" Without a word Apple handed Raven the package with the shower curtain.

"Sea dragons!" Raven cheered.

"I got us some pizza for dinner, how's about we put that up after we eat?"

"Sounds hexcellent!" Raven Agreed. "I always have trouble putting that curtain rod back right."

"Don't worry Raven I'll always be there to look after you, no matter what." Apple hugged the witch tight.


	3. The one with the new normal

Author's notes (you may skip if you like, I won't mind):

Hey! This story is getting more positive attention than I had originally thought! Yippee!

Sorry if my updates aren't as fast as everybody (including myself, I want to get this thing done too because… well I'm curious to see what my brain will come up with next… it's strange just writing by the seat of my pants) would like it to be but somehow I'm managing to turn out 40 plus pages for each chapter and am self-editing the heck out of these things to make sure everything is- as Blondie would say- "Just right", which is apparently a good habit to get into or so I've been told.

But have no fear I am committed to see this thing get finished, I do have other stories I'd like to write too.

At any rate the most difficult character for me to write was Kitty, because well… she's Kitty. So I decided to hybrid the character with what I've interpreted from the show and from all the cats that I know.

I noticed that when some of my cat friends move to a new place they tend to go on destructive binges for a while until they acclimate, seeing as Kitty is from Wonderland and the place she's living in now is so… boring in comparison, I imagine that she might be clawing at the walls from time to time.

Apple is going to be a tricky character to turn from so-in-the-closet-of-denial-she-hasn't-a-clue to oh-frick-I'm-gay but I've got a few ideas floating about how to make that meld true to the story. Stuck between obligation and the heart anyone?

Hope you enjoy this chapter as you have the others and thanks once again for the lovely reviews!

XXX

The one with the new normal

XXX

The next five weeks and a half consisted of Raven starting her mornings by waking up at practically the crack of dawn, eating breakfast in the infirmary, and being subjected to every test that the healers could think of (and more than a few Raven was certain were made up).

Next came the exhausting magical workouts and testing where Raven had to conduct all the spells and curses that she had ever been taught and carefully observed by the evil advisors and fairy godmother advisors to see if there was any changes in her magical ability.

Some days she got a break from being a magical guinea pig and just went to one of the minor morning classes, there seemed to be no real fixed schedule, or at least not one that anybody had bothered to tell her about, just that every week she was given a new class schedule that was tailored by her professors and the healers in order to discover some new facet of her situation.

When she was not re-conducting magical spells or in class she was assisting in the research of how the Bleeding Rebel Heart plants magical potential worked, and since she was half the cause for such plants to exist the plant's magical abilities and reactions were also tested on her and her power.

So far it had been discovered that parts of the plant could be used as a powerful anti-curse ingredient, the essence of the root and flowers in particular seemed to be able to soak up the energy in dark magic's turning the cursed potion or spell into a non magical element. It was too early to tell but if things continued as they were, the Rebel Bleeding Heart had the potential to become the only universal anti-curse ingredient in existence.

Her father had certainly been interested according to Baba Yaga and his most recent letter, he had several covertly shipped to the Queen main estate and requested that Raven give him as much research findings as possible. From his excited writing Raven could tell he was getting ready to get a jump-start on the mass crops of this new plant, and since his daughter had direct contact with the latest research he could (technically) legally circumnavigate the Board of Magical Crops Association (BMCA).

Raven found herself laughing for a good long while at that one, she decided that it was a good enough cause to break her usual rule about using her mirrorphone to send him daily reports. It had been decided long ago that in order to keep some peace, and keep her father's family out of the usual gossip mill that Raven's father's identity would remain a well kept secret, which was not unusual for the Queen family. Devices like the mirrorphone were usually a big no-no due to the fact that if someone wanted to they could trace the location and identity of the person Raven was talking to, and should be used as little as possible.

It was relatively all right this time around because as far as any outsiders were concerned Raven was just using an independent contractor to help in the research. Professor Baba Yaga and Professor Bad Wolf even approved the idea; Raven had asked Baba Yaga about the potential legal ramifications, and the crone had gone ahead and gotten Professor Bad Wolf involved, between the two storybook villains, her father, and surprisingly (very, very surprisingly, Raven was still in shock over this) her grandmother on her father's side had all done some sort of sneaky legal mumbo jumbo making it so that not only was the BMCA legally obligated to keep Raven's heritage a secret but to also allow for the Queen estate to have full access to the plant to use as they saw fit.

From the unusually pleased looks on her Professor's faces Raven figured that her father had made certain that more funds were being put into the coffers of the evil courses.

Lunch was a slight reprieve where she gave Apple a report on the morning's findings, her friends making sure she ate enough to their satisfaction, and then the hour was concluded with taking a buddy nap with Briar. There were times where she felt as though the whole room was watching her, but then again that was probably mostly Apple who had become the biggest mother hen of all time and Raven's unofficial caretaker.

In the afternoons Raven was dragged to and fro so that her new magic could be tested in princess, hero, good, evil, and all other genre classes.

By the end of the day Raven found herself so tired that she sometimes had to be carried out of the classroom. She really hoped that Daring was getting some sort of hextra credit for all that carrying he was so kindly doing for her, at the very least she was able to give him a bottle of her very best homemade sword cleaner and polisher, he said that he liked the way it made the metal shine and clearly reflect his image.

Thankfully the teachers all seemed to have taken pity on Raven and handed out really simple homework, which was fine by her especially since the healers had not been as kind and forced her to write down a journal with as many details as possible about her day.

Dinner was the most relaxing time, even though she was half asleep and too sore to move, at the very least she was either in one of the dorms of the select few people who knew the truth or she was in her own dorm talking about normal things with Apple until she finished eating and headed off for an early bedtime.

She still made enough time, somehow, to study the three Bleeding Rebel Hearts in her dorm on her own. Apple had expressed that she liked the plants in their dorm, she liked how they looked and the strong yet calming scent that came from the flowers.

Cedar had shown her interest in the plants as well, both girls looking into the non-magical medicinal side of the plant, exchanging notes frequently. With Cedar helping in the research and using the free time she had more of than Raven, and Raven sharing the reports on what the professors had found out about the plant, they were making great progress, maybe not as fast as they could be but it was still fairly decent.

Apple and Cerise joked that their roommates were like little kids learning everything about the new type of candy… and something about a candy world? Candy buzz? Raven wasn't paying much attention at the time.

That was the weekdays the weekends were a whole other matter.

For the next several (read: until the healers were satisfied) Friday and Saturday nights, Raven was to spend the night in the infirmary and have the healers watch her sleep.

Having someone watch her sleep was so unnerving that it was difficult for Raven to sleep.

The head healer, (a woman by the name of Phalange, brilliant healer, bedside manners of a Gila lizard), found this rather amusing for the first few hours before making a big show of finally pointing out to her colleagues that Raven was used to sleeping with a roommate.

With the over exaggerated way everyone was making of it made Raven increasingly suspicious that they had planned this.

Now using Raven's insomnia as an excuse they were able to fetch Apple who, to Raven's tired eyes, looked almost as if she hadn't slept much either. It was probably the exhaustion that made her think that but the guilt never really set in since Apple seemed so eager to help out and Raven was just too tired to care. Now there had been an agreement made between the healers and Raven's newly appointed band of overly caring friends that someone was to stay the night in the infirmary with her. A schedule had been drawn up with Apple making sure that she took up the most slots.

"I'm your roommate I should be the one to spend the most nights with you." Was Apple's reasoning, the princess had that look in her eye that was daring anyone to say differently so Raven wisely bit her tongue and let her guilty protests die in her mouth.

More tests were conducted even before the witch woke up, a healer literally taking blood samples and shining a light in her eye when they popped open in alarm. And like the weekdays she was shuffled to and fro almost all morning seeing how her magic reacted to different things.

She was allowed more breaks on the weekends at the requests of several of the teachers and her friends who all seemed to share a unified horror at how gleefully intense the healers were with their tests.

The afternoons on the weekends were riddled with meetings between the healers, faculty, and the Grimm brothers. She was ever grateful to Giles who set her up in a corner with a choice of books and just let her _be_ for a while, and she didn't even have to stay for the full meeting, which was just awesome!

Sometimes in the evenings there would be just a private meeting between the Grimm brothers, Head Healer Phalange (who was clued in about the True Love thing because she was the best healer they had and because she would've slain the Headmaster if she had found out any other way), herself, and oddly enough Cerise. The hooded girl insisted on being able to hear the uncensored version of things, without all the tiptoeing around True Love.

Baba Yaga had said that she'd be put through the ringer, what she hadn't mentioned was just how many times she'd be put through, Raven mentally grumbled as she sat sufficiently tied up in a morning damsel-in-distressing class.

She sighed relaxing tiredly in her bonds, personally she could see why a lot of these tests were necessary, and the constant change of classes too, she being the first witch _ever_ to have a True Love bond and all that, but she didn't really see why everyone was being so tense about it; it wasn't like Apple would ever be with her voluntarily, and it wasn't like the two of them couldn't end up with other people and still live happily.

Apple had her prince, had her stability, she was a freaking princess for the Ancestor's sake! Becoming the next Snow White or not she'll essentially get the same life she wants either way, the only difference was the little matter of a name change.

Raven had accepted this fact almost the same moment when she discovered her feelings for the girl. Raven was everything that Apple did not want in a life partner; she was, until recently, destined to be the villain, a _girl_ witch queen with a lineage that all feared, again she was a _girl_ Apple didn't like girls, a Rebel, a serious threat to Apple's stability, and more importantly she was a stubborn traitor to the Royal cause because she didn't want to be evil.

Never mind that the actual thought of hurting people and being all-evil especially to the girl she loved made her want to go and burn every last trace of her mother, grandmother, and all the Evil Queens up to the very first one out of her.

Raven had once had an assignment in Junior Tale High that asked her to wright down what she would say to her founding ancestor if she could meet them face-to-face.

Instantaneously Raven had imagined a lot of yelling at best and at worse she could honestly see that she and the Evil Queen would try to thrash each other. Thankfully her father had pulled her out before she had a chance to put quill to paper (she didn't think that her teacher would've appreciated something so disrespectful to the original Evil Queen coming from the future Evil Queen anyway), the third week of Raven coming home on the weekend all battered and bruised, and Maddie unapologetically telling him _everything_ about the bullies, had convinced her father that it would be for the best for Raven to be home schooled.

On her darker days Raven remembered that moment when she held her assignment and how for the first time she had lost enough control over her powers to have her magic surround her for the next few hours like a purple fog.

On the plus side none of the bullies had laid a finger on her for the next two days.

Speaking of her former bullies she had promised Hunter that she'd meet up with him, Ashlynn, and Briar for lunch, she wondered if enough time had passed for the two of them to joke about old times.

Raven shook her head slightly, probably not; the boy had looked pretty shame-faced the day after she had first come to Ever After High, when he had managed to talk to her alone, he had ran off right after he spoke his apologies never really talking to her much until she had decided to reject her destiny. He had really surprised her when he became one of the most vocal of the Rebels, but she was very thankful that he had become one of her friends.

Raven had to remember to give the boy some of her experimental- as Hunter would put it- "girly lotions and potions" along with Ashlynn's usual favorites.

She and Cedar (along with the permission of the magical teachers, if they were going to do this then they were going to do it smart) had made a tentative few batches of non-magical and magical everyday products to be tested. If successful then her father could start in on the advertising of the Queen Estate's new products with Bleeding Rebel Heart as one of the ingredients. She and Cerise had tested some of the lotions and soaps on themselves with no adverse effects, Cedar would've tried some of their batches too but since she was made out of wood the products wouldn't produce the desired effects.

"Now remember girls struggle as little as possible, you don't want to mar your delicate skin. Let's practice batting our eyes."

The witch blinked blearily as the teacher instructed in the correct way to look helpless, feeling vaguely insulted she tuned the woman out in favor of trying to plan a way to get herself and Maddie alone long enough to get the exact tale on just what her two self appointed Royal matchmakers were up to.

Lizzie and Daring were almost worse than an elderly grandmother or some other dotty matriarch who wanted to see their chosen female relative in a white dress followed by a mass of little ones pattering around. Every opportunity they had attempted to push Apple and Raven together in some way, not that they needed to do much since Apple was constantly worried that Raven was going to up and keel over at any minute no matter how many times Raven tactfully tried to reassure Apple that she was going to live to a very old age. The princess just seemed to get clingier after such proclamations.

The witch was just thankful that Apple could be so naïve, especially since the two royals were laying it on thick trying to nudge Apple in the direction of perhaps considering taking Raven out sometime. Of coarse the princess had completely misunderstood and had taken Raven out... shopping, not a, we're-on-a-date shopping but a Raven-needs-better-work-clothes-even-if-I-have-to-drag-her-all-the-way-there shopping.

Raven spent all of her free time last Friday being dressed up like a doll, which had been fine, she needed the outfits anyway. The two Rebels had apparently seen what they were up against and had backed off to no doubt regroup and devise a better strategy that could break through Apple's innocent obliviousness.

Raven could've sworn that she had seen a wedding magazine in the two's possession once or twice.

That incident had just proven to Raven her initial suspicions that something was afoot on the Royal side of their little-group-who-_knew_. Maddie would know something about this for sure! Now if only she could get her friend alone for ten minutes…

Come to think of it Raven practically never found herself alone anymore when Apple wasn't sticking to her like every second counted Briar or Ashlynn was somewhere close by…

"You're not falling asleep on me are you?" Cerise whispered in her ear.

Raven smothered a laugh. "Give me a few minutes."

The wolf child gently swatted Raven upside her head, and then gently scratched the top where Raven used to wear that accursed spikey crown. No more as far as Raven was concerned, a change in the nature of her magic meant a slow yet steady change of her outfits, and besides half the time she was wearing infirmary scrubs so why bother having to put all the complicated accessories on every time.

Heck, she had half a mind to just go all day wearing the scrubs. That is if it weren't for the fact that Apple would have a conniption if she did. Apple's conniptions were not pretty, she had seen her go through one once (that night of Legacy Day had been long and loud before both witch and princess had settled on an unsteady truce sometime in the early hours of the morning) and that was enough for one lifetime.

"Hey if I have to suffer taking this class, so do you." Cerise playfully jibed, invoking a memory of the wolf girl's common grumbling over having to take this class all because of the whole "little red riding hood" thing.

"Miss Muffet, why is Mister Spider all tied up and not you?" Professor White Queen asked the pair sitting next to Raven and Cerise.

Tiffany Muffet the daughter of Little Miss Muffet was a tiny blonde haired blue-eyed freshman that was turning out to be one of the more devious Rebels. She was the exact opposite of her ancestor character in almost every respect but appearance; despite her child-like looks she loved all things dark and creepy, especially spiders.

This had turned into a problem for her Royal story counterpart Edward Spider; despite being three years older he had managed to develop a fear of the girl. Granted his fears were for good reason…

"Why is he in this class?" Raven muttered to Cerise.

"I don't know the full story, but I'm pretty sure that Edward lost a bet with her earlier in the year. You know before he found out that Tiffany was smarter than she acts." Cerise replied, apparently the wolf child held Tiffany in higher esteem than Edward.

Wide blue eyes locked with the teacher. "Edward said that I was going about being a damsel all wrong so he's kindly showing me the proper way to do it." She batted her eyes innocently.

"Hmmmf!" Edward complained through his gag, not looking in the least like a willing participant.

"He's so kind." Tiffany continued, sounding almost too sweet to believe and petting the top of his head in a way that was borderline diabolic. "To take the time to teach me how to be a better storybook character… I could just eat him up."

"MMMMM!" Edward screamed jerking out of the girl's clutches and trying to wiggle away.

Much to the class's equal surprise and horror the instructor made an agreeing hum. "Yes, I do suppose that Mister Spider does have the technique down right. Class, please observe Mister Spider for future reference."

While everyone gaped Professor White Queen turned toward Cerise and Raven. "Miss Hood that is not the correct way to tie a damsel up. The knot should be tied in a lovely bow so as to compliment your captive's looks. Miss Muffet please come here and show Miss Hood the correct technique."

Very lowly Raven could hear Cerise grumble "Who's gonna care about that in the real world, the fashionable kidnapper police?"

Raven snickered as quietly as possible.

Leaving her victim, who had given up fighting and now was weeping pitifully on the floor as Professor White Queen commended him on his "style", Tiffany gingerly approached Raven looking very somber.

"H-hey Raven, how are you feeling?" The girl said meekly.

Raven blinked at her confused as to the girl's unusual behavior towards her, Tiffany was usually so bold and unapologetic in personality. "Oh I'm doing fine, a little tired from the odd schedule, but other than that everything's all good."

Tiffany smiled weakly gently untying and then retying Raven's bonds like she feared that one wrong slip and the witch would shatter. "That's hexcellent Raven… your… your magic isn't giving you any troubles?" Tiffany tied off the ropes into an elegant bow and stood up.

Oblivious to the girl's worry Raven shrugged. "Well having my magic change color has definitely proven to be an adventure, but I'm not going to let it stand in my way, just wait and see, soon the healers will be satisfied and the teachers will stop worrying so much and I will be able to look back fondly on all this years down the road."

Raven and Cerise started when the girl unexpectedly dissolved into tears.

"O-oh Raven you're so brave!" Tiffany sniffed. "That's just like you to… to not give up the fight… I …I just want you to know that we-… the Rebels are all r-rooting for you."

"Tiffany what's wrong?" Raven asked alarmed.

Instead of answering right away the girl gave the witch a quick hug before backing away and trying to compose herself.

"Sorry, sorry, it's just that I'm worried, we're all worried, but it is a relief that you are doing so well despite your condition."

"Condition? Wha-?" Raven made to say but the bell rang cutting her off.

"Sorry I have to go now if I'll be able to drag Edward to his next class while still making it to mine in time. Keep up that resilient attitude, we are all cheering you to get better." Tiffany easily dragged a still tied up Edward away despite the fact that the boy was a good deal taller and heavier. The unusual signs of tears must have worried him because he was not struggling but giving her a concerned look as she dragged him out.

"What was that all about?" Raven asked flabbergasted.

Cerise narrowed her eyes in suspicion as she freed Raven. "I think that I might have an idea… you probably haven't noticed because you've been so busy but It sure seems like everyone who doesn't "know" is acting really funny towards you."

"Who's acting funny?" Ashlynn asked as she, Briar, and Apple come close.

"Tiffany just burst into tears and told me that she's glad that I'm taking my "condition" so well." Raven said perplexed. "It's almost as if she was treating me like I had some sort of terminal condition, not a little magical color change."

Predictably Apple stiffened though it was only partly for the reason Raven was currently assuming, Raven's condition was dangerous but she had been trying very hard to not be a jerk and have Raven face the fatality of her situation by Apple voicing her inner panicked thoughts, Raven needed stability not a freaked out princess trying to bring everyone down, even though the witch seemed to see right through her every time and ended up trying to assure Apple that all would be well.

It was the voiced thoughts of others that had Apple so worried despite a statement made by the Headmaster to all the classes that Raven was being observed in stating that Raven's magical color change was odd, destiny changing, but by itself non-fatal. Somehow despite this the majority of the student population still believed very strongly that the witch's health was in danger.

The distraught students were not exactly helping Apple's nerves either, she even had to use her princess training to ensure that no one would be offering condolences or be planning funerals within the witch's earshot, or even to Raven's face, although most people decided to just come up to Apple to send offerings support to Raven or asking after Raven's wellbeing, Apple was losing count of people who had come up to her offering home remedies to ease any of Raven's "pain" or the number of very morbid Rebels and some Royals offering a nice grave plot for the witch because they knew that Raven would not want to be buried next to the other Evil Queens of the past.

It was those times especially that had Apple feeling very annoyed that she and Raven went to school with a bunch of fairytale characters, sure the grave plots and medieval pain relieving remedies were all a part of the culture and traditions of Ever After High but it didn't make it any less creepy.

There had also been some hushed whispers amongst the minority of the more intolerant Royals about how Raven was faking the whole thing so that no one noticed her true evil scheme; Apple had sought to come down particularly hard on the loose lips that she could find, her status and sway over the majority of the Royals, whom most of them had friends and family in the other faction, kept anyone in the minority from doing anything rash.

As an hextra precaution she had either Briar or Ashlynn sometimes even Daring to cover for her when she could not be with Raven (Briar had proven to be particularly scary to that intolerant Royal minority for some reason, but when asked how the sleepy princess just grinned wickedly so Apple stopped asking). It hadn't been that difficult so far seeing as Raven barely had the time to talk to anyone outside their group, although she knew that the Rebels, who had already been beginning to make moves to speak with their leader, would not sit respectfully by for long.

It had been worth it regardless, Raven's positive attitude that she would survive her lack of a destiny would most likely help Raven to either survive or at least have happy memories to look back on, this thought in turn made Apple feel better too.

And then she remembered Raven and Briar saying that they were having lunch with Ashlynn and Hunter. Hunter had actually caught on to Apple's plan early on… well some of it at least, he understood that Raven needed to focus on getting her magic tested out in peace especially after Briar explained that Raven was not going to die from her magic change (although he still seemed very skeptical that she was speaking the truth), but disapproved of what he thought was Apple's mistrust in the Rebels to the point of not letting anybody talk to Raven directly.

When push came to shove Apple would not stand in Raven's way if she really wanted to speak with any one of her loyal Rebel faction, and yes maybe if Raven was the one to explain her condition not so many people would be writing up eulogies but for the past few weeks Raven had been so utterly exhausted and so, _so_ very vulnerable in a way that Apple had never seen the other girl before, what's worse was that the witch was trying to bottle it all up and hide it.

Apple knew that Raven was scared, was trying to put up a strong front so as not to worry anyone, but just how long could Raven hold it together if left to the crowds of people who were prematurely grieving her death even as Raven's very large, very kind heart was still beating strong?

It wasn't that Apple was secluding Raven for no good reason it was just that she hadn't figured out how to properly convince people that at the very least Raven's new magic color would not spell the end for the most looked-up-to witch of Ever After High.

The princess's face fell looking familiarly grim sending Raven's heart to clench painfully.

"She's a Rebel so it's very weird for her to be acting like this. I expected something similar to her reaction, but without the crying, coming from some of the Royals not a Rebel." Raven clarified moving instinctually to Apple and taking her hand. "I'll be fine." She says to the princess in a quieter tone. "I'm too stubborn to allow myself to be blown out like that and you're too strong to let anything happen to me, please believe me when I say we'll get through this, together."

Apple smiles bravely at the witch squeezing her hand in response, that is all the answer that Raven needs, the witch's smile is wide and brilliant.

Not too far away but momentarily forgotten the three other females awkwardly watch the two smile and stare at each other.

Briar bites both her top and bottom lips overcome with the overwhelming sense of knowing that things had just became even more complicated if that melt-y shine in Apple's eyes had anything to say.

"Shameless married couple." Cerise commented quietly, but not quietly enough for the other two not to hear.

Without looking away Briar smacked the hooded girl behind the head, the wolf child still smiling unapologetically despite this.

Ashlynn who had been looking between her best friend and her best friend's roommate in confusion now looked on with eyes so wide that it felt like they'd fall out of her skull.

It couldn't be could it? Apple had that weak-in-the-knees posture, and Raven stood unwaveringly protective, plus the way that they gazed so intently at each other… she and Hunter looked the exact same way! Ashlynn would know because since they had come out as a couple they had became one of Ever After High's _cutest_ couples which meant that there was like hundreds of pictures of them being all lovey-dovey and romantic flying around the mirrornet.

When had that happened?

"At any rate I'm completely confused as to why Tiffany would act like that." Raven stated still staring at Apple but breaking the spell a little.

"Like I was telling Raven before, its not just Tiffany, a lot of people are acting strange towards Raven." Cerise jumped in like the past few seconds never happened.

"About that… Ashlynn and I have a confession to make, don't we Ashlynn." Briar stated nervously.

Ashlynn had warned her at the very start of the rumor but by the time she had rushed down to Professor Jack B. Nimble's class the bell had rang and everyone was either on their mirrorphones telling their friends, (she thankfully had gotten to Blondie Lockes in time before she had jumped the gun and posted anything on her blog, she had managed to convince the budding reporter to do some research first so that at the very least she had bought Apple enough time to work her magic on people) or flying into an outright panic attack (like Hunter and Tiny, it took ages to calm those boys down and Hunter still didn't believe her explanation for Raven's changed magic color, something she hoped that would be fixed by having Raven explain things herself).

Ashlynn was still staring.

"I said don't we Ashlynn." Briar walked past Cerise to elbow her friend in the side.

"Uh what? Oh y-yeah people acting weird… umm…" Ashlynn grappled to regain comprehension of the conversation. "S-somehow a rumor got around that when a magic user's power changes color something bad will happen to- in this case- the witch with the changed color. That's why people are acting so odd they think that Raven's magic is going to… well you know. Speaking of which Raven, you should probably tell Hunter that those rumors are false, he was really panicked earlier this month even after Briar explained things, I think that he'll believe you though."

Raven blinked in surprise, sure she'd barely had the time to actually talk with many people outside her current group but the knowledge of this rumor still blindsided her.

"Sure I'll talk with him; but I thought that the situation was explained to all of the classes that I'm taking." Raven was still perplexed.

"Yeah, and that explanation came in as a written statement by the Headmaster." Briar snorted.

At the witch's confused look Ashlynn elaborated. "The same Headmaster that tried to trick you into signing the Book of Legends by using that tampered wishing well coin? Locked his _own_ brother away? The mirror that set him on fire because he tried to trick you again? Goldie Lockes's show, with that angry unicorn? Our Headmaster hasn't exactly been promoting very much trust with the students."

Raven winced, remembering how much that whole Thronecomming and wishing well incident had stung, if her mother hadn't somehow hidden the Book of Legends who knew where she'd be now.

Still standing next to Raven, Apple's face darkened as she was reminded of the Headmaster's trickery. The man had lost her support after Thronecomming, sure at the time she had wanted Raven to follow her destiny but at the witch's own free will, not from fear and guilt. Did the man not care at all what would happened if Raven had signed the Book only to find out later that she'd been duped? When the Rebels found out that they'd all been conned? Such dangerous matters should not be dealt with so rashly!

She knew back then that things would've ended very badly for Raven when she found out it was all a lie; and now…

Apple found herself grateful that they'd found out the truth when they did because if Raven had signed the Book then, the witch would've been facing a death sentence with no escape in the here and now.

"No, I suppose he hasn't." The princess said eerily calm, her eyes clear and livid. On instinct she held Raven's hand closer to her, her red lips seemed just barely composed enough to keep from baring her teeth in a very un-princess-like manner.

Ashlynn and Briar stepped back slightly.

"We better be heading off to our next class." Cerise did not back away like the others but her eyebrows did flirt with her hairline at the scent of Apple's protective possessiveness wafting over her.

The princess gave a curt nod pulling a surprised witch behind her. "Come on Raven we have smiling lessons."

"I swear if those two lovebirds end up happily ever after I'll take off my hood." Cerise muttered massaging her temples.

"You don't think that it can happen?" Briar asks finding herself not offended by the hooded girl's negativity but almost agreeing with the other.

"No offense to your friend but I just can't see Apple White admitting that she is developing feelings for anyone, let alone a girl, outside of her ready made future fairytale. Well, at least not without…" she briefly checks herself hearing Ashlynn's breath stutter, "… something of major Fairytale proportions giving her an excuse to do anything otherwise."

"Well aside from the fact that Apple believes that people will disappear if they don't follow their destinies." Briar emphasizes. "Something like this would be terrifying to her Cerise, her entire life she's been told hexactly how her life will turn out, that idea of a certain future is like her security blanket she won't let go unless she knows that there is another security blanket for her to grab onto."

Briar inhales deeply feeling tired and helpless. "Raven knows this, painfully, and that's why she'll keep her feelings for Apple a secret, because she knows that Apple can't handle it, she just… she'd fall apart if she had to deal with the very real scenario where she was pushed into an uncertain future all alone. Did you know that after Legacy Day Raven had a chance to switch roommates?"

Cerise looks at her in surprise. "I assumed that Apple or the RA had made it so that she couldn't." she states sheepishly.

Briar smiled a tiny smile. "No, Raven knew that if she left Apple then Apple would be heartbroken. Raven knows that if she were to leave and cut Apple completely away then to Apple that would mean the end, of everything."

"And Raven would never do that." Cerise says beginning to understand. "Not just because she's in love with her either but also because Raven is just too nice to let anyone go through something scary all by themselves if she can help it."

Briar nodded chuckling slightly as a thought entered her mind.

"What?" The hooded girl asked.

"It's just that… it's ironic you know, someone as nice and caring as Raven being told to play the part of the Evil Queen, it's like a really bad joke."

"Tell me about it. Why do you think all us Rebels like her so much? She's just as willing to stand by any one of us and our beliefs as we would for her. She's… our Alpha, our leader who takes care of us, _all of us_." Cerise grumbled dryly, heck the witch was keeping her heritage a secret, Evil Queens did not do that, at least not for free.

She never got why the Royals had expected her to become as ruthless and mean as they tried to make her out to be, it was stupid in her opinion to want something scary to hurt them just so that they could have an excuse to scream monster.

Briar's face turns wistful. "You know I had once hated Raven a little because she had started the whole Rebel thing and made Apple worry for her future, but after thronecomming and that little adventure we had in the fake Book of Legends- you heard about that right? Where we were looking for clues as to the whereabouts of the real one and we ended up in each other's stories? - Well I ended up in Raven's story…" The girl took a shuddering breath as the other two listened attentively.

"I had no idea what being the Evil Queen really meant, I just always… assumed that all Queens were born evil and never thought about anything more than that. I just figured that Raven was just being selfish when she said that she didn't want to be evil, which I was right about, but I realized it wasn't the bad kind of selfish that motivated Raven, it was the good kind, Raven has the kind of selfish that-… that just wants to see the girl she loves live happily even if Apple doesn't end up with her, and to have people to see Raven as Raven and not the Evil Queen." Briar looked down feeling ashamed.

"I had never realized just how much Legacy Day must have hurt Raven to see Apple so upset, I heard them arguing for hours you know, our dorm is not that far away, but to actually become the Evil Queen and hurt Apple? Even if it's just for a fairytale… Ancestors it just might- no it would kill her! Even without the current situation where her magic would turn against her, I- I know without a doubt that she'd never go through with it… she'd… she would…"

"Take out herself before she touched Apple in that way?" Cerise guessed.

"How did-?"

"I know? Well it just makes sense I guess, the thought of turning into her mother makes her really squeamish, especially since I know that Raven has fallen for Apple so hard that she can't seem to walk right… but yeah, I'm pretty sure Maddie knows this too because she's been… less random I guess you could say, she and Kitty seem to be preparing for the eventual blowout so that they can either help them get together or whisk Raven away to nurse her broken heart while they dote on her like a pair of caring mothers."

"Mothers?" Ashlynn asks making Briar jump and blush realizing that she had forgotten that the other girl was in the room.

Cerise shrugs looking uncomfortable. "Maddie, along with being Raven's best friend, has always been like a protective sister even when they were kids, I'm pretty sure that if Raven didn't have her dad then Maddie would adopt Raven in a heartbeat."

She shifts from foot to foot. "Kitty… Maddie says that at first she became fond of Raven because she had created a whole lot of wonderful chaos at the school, and now ever since she and Maddie have become… close..."

"Close" being an understatement, never before had Cerise found herself cursing her wolf hearing then after the night Maddie and Kitty became "close". Loudly. Almost all night long. And now she has to wear earmuffs to bed and lie to Cedar telling her that her ears get cold because apparently there is no such thing as Lesbian bed death in Wonderland.

"Kitty has become a lot like the… extended family member trying to get to know Raven better. Maddie has told me that Raven and Kitty get along pretty well usually." Actually Maddie had compared Kitty to being Raven's BFFA-in-law which Cerise translated into either "stepmother" or "Sister-in-law" because either one kind of fit weirdly enough. The Hatter had wanted to calm Cerise's nerves about Kitty being so friendly with Raven, and although she still didn't trust the cat a single bit Kitty was playing nice for now, although Cerise found it incredibly weird that the cat girl was insisting that Raven learned how to hunt and land on her feet, or at least learn to fall properly.

Unusually enough Kitty seemed to be… more protective of Raven as of late too, if she was trying to impress Maddie Cerise could understand that but then again Cerise was never very sure where Kitty stood but sometimes the wolf girl could've sworn that the cat girl looked like she was… guilty of something, and she was trying not to let Maddie know it.

"That makes sense." Ashlynn nodded.

"It does?" Cerise asked dumbly, it sure as heck didn't make sense to her and she'd been the one talking.

"Yeah, the refugees from Wonderland are already pretty close to each other it would make sense that if one of them practically claims an outsider like Raven one of their family then others will view Raven as one of their own." Ashlynn nods to herself.

Cerise plasters a grin that she hopes looks like a real one and nods as well because it's way more than that but Cerise has already been scared for life so she is keen to cling to Ashlynn's innocent explanation and pretend that the terrifying noises next door had never been made her business in the first place.

Not that either Wonderlandian seemed to feel the need to keep the obvious hints of their relationship a secret, especially from her, even though Cerise would rather stick her head in the ground than be reminded of just how dandy those two have been getting on lately.

"Yep sure seems to be." She says unusually chipper.

The two princesses look at her oddly but Cerise doesn't care, can't find the presence of mind to care when she is trying to pretend that her ears really do get cold at night and they all really need to start heading to their next classes anyway.

XXX

Kitty was in way over her head and she knew it.

Not that she'd ever admit it of coarse; a good prankster must always keep a good poker face on at all times.

But seriously, well as serious as she could get, she was in big trouble.

All right, maybe she should've kept her curious paws out of little Raven's past but Raven's past had a lot to do with her darling Hatter's past and she wanted desperately to find out why Maddie's hackles raised like a protective mother bandersnitch whenever someone even mentioned their little witch's past. That was reasonable right?

At first her snooping had turned up some very interesting things like that picture that alluded to the fact that little Raven was of some sort of royalty outside the Queen land and estates.

But that had turned downhill so quickly her head nearly actually spun! She had of coarse been present as the crone poked and prodded little Raven's magic; Maddie had appreciated the swift report.

She had heard the two apparently not so wicked witches talk of times past, the little bits she had gotten from them painted a horrifying picture, she knew that she should've probably stopped everything right then and there but she had just grown even curiouser, she could not help it!

The past few weeks when the little Raven spent time with darling Hatter and her, Kitty had indeed seen the barest glimpses of their little bird's harmed skin showing that those scars had not been just metaphorical. She now understood at least why dearest Maddie was so protective of this girl, their girl now or so she was hoping, it set her claws on edge thinking that little Raven had once been subjected to the full horrors of the same monster who had poisoned them away from Wonderland.

Maddie had caught Kitty gently fussing over one of the monster's marks while the little witch was passed out from exhaustion, for a moment she feared a night on the couch but Maddie had just curled up beside the two and joined Kitty in the fussing.

"The true Evil One, the monster that ran us from our homeland Raven too has felt her claws." Maddie had spoken lowly so as not to awaken their little charge. Kitty was honored and relieved, Maddie dearest did not usually share much when it came to her adopted family member.

Kitty found herself drawn to the little witch and it wasn't just because she was Maddie's dearest friend and family, Kitty could not find it in herself to deny the beginnings of that motherly instinct churning in her chest.

She had questioned her darling Hatter about it, as she was slowly learning to do now, asking questions first sometimes and maybe snoop later, Maddie's answer was simple and Kitty found herself agreeing; little Raven witch was like them, the Wonderland people who had escaped the monster's clutch, only when they had escaped they still had each other and little Raven had no one but her father, and even that would not last long because Raven was to become the Evil Queen, which to Maddie made the Rebel cause all the more important. When Raven won the battle for the Rebels she could walk with her Wonderlandian family and her father without fear that people would scorn them too for standing beside her.

Later investigation, and Kitty found that she could not stop herself from later investigation showed that according to the Royal gossip ring the man who was the sole public heir to the Pendragon estate supposedly had no children and there was big talk about what would happen when he passed, but in actuality that royal seal that came from little Raven's care packages added with the not so secret that the witch's father's identity was being kept a secret led Kitty to the conclusion that little Raven was actually the only and last descendant that held rights to this Pendragon estate.

Kitty almost reeled cartwheels across the room when she first saw the seal and made the connection; though she valiantly tampered her chaos induced glee until later because Maddie was also in the room, she was caught in between utter hexcitement at all the chaotic knowledge that now seemed to be falling into her lap and a touch bit (ok a lot) of trepidation for the day Maddie dearest or little Raven found out.

She was trying to be a goody, goody mate for her dearest Hatter, she was! But despite her best efforts she could not turn off her curious brain long enough to not make all these connections, like that seal, and she always seemed to be at the right place and left time, like that talk between the not so wicked witches!

Kitty grabbed Maddie's hand as they walked down the hall feeling a surge of affection when the Hatter cuddled into her side and produced a stalk of mint out of nowhere to give to the cat girl.

It was more than just a little fling between them Kitty mused as she chewed on the plant, never had anyone understood Kitty as well as her Hatter, nor had anyone taken the time to try really, Maddie knew almost instinctually when Kitty was just out for some harmless fun and chaos or when the simply absurd amount of just boring non-Wonderful structure of this land had her tearing through everything just to get some decent chaos to make things feel better.

Maddie might not have the ability to bring back Wonderland but she did tend to make things all the more bearable, enough so that she had not gotten herself into any destructive binges for months. Chaos and randomness seemed to just follow her mate and Maddie was always very keen to share it with her, especially for the past while, Maddie had proven to be… very satisfyingly inventive.

Maddie was worth trying to fit a tad more into this land's customs, Maddie had strived to accept Kitty's love of chaos and preference of edible mints and flowers to chew on instead of having them waste away in some vase… it was only fair that Kitty strived to meet her dearest in the middle.

"Pardon us- excuse us- oh, thank you for moving out of the way- Apple please slow down- oh dear, so sorry!"

"It's so good to see our little Raven and the fair one getting along so well." Maddie idly commented as she watched Apple drag Raven behind her like a woman on a mission eyes flashing thunderously at the passerby who parted the halls much like the Red Sea did every other week. As Kitty laughed heartily into Maddie's shoulder she made a note to see if maybe they could spend summer vacation there, seeing the sea part at sunset would be very romantic.

Maddie thoughtfully waited for her laughter to pitter out before speaking again. "Are you going to continue to teach Raven how to hunt bandersnitch this weekend?" She asked idly.

Kitty sobered up but kept her smile. "She's become quite the little huntress, even with the lack of wild beasts in this land it is always good to know how to take down things with so many teeth and claws." Like the Evil Queen but Kitty does not voice this, does not have to because Maddie is giving her a feral little smirk.

"Hunting vile beasts as a family always makes post-hunt tea taste all the better." The Hatter comments airily, dangerously, and Kitty suddenly feels like melting into a glob of lovable goo.

There is a blur that runs past them, then comes back in the form of one hooded Cerise carrying one protesting Ashlynn and one cheering Briar in each arm.

The wolf child looks between the loving Wonderland couple and groans something too low for any human to pick up rolling her eyes skywards before taking off again with a shout of horror in one arm and a squeal of delight in the other.

Kitty feels vaguely embarrassed.

"Dearest perhaps we should ask Raven for a sound proofing spell."

Maddie blinks confused.

Kitty manages to blush though there is a trace of laughter in her eye as she thinks back to the hooded wolf muttering about lovebirds and lack of sleep. "Just a precaution." Kitty hums wrapping a hand around the others waist and continuing their walk.

XXX

Apple startles when Cerise bursts into the room carrying Ashlynn and Briar.

"That was off the page!" Briar hexclaims jumping out of the hooded girl's hold, arms in the air. "Do you mind if we do that again sometime?"

"No! neber a'gn n-not a'gn." Ashlynn warbles holding onto Cerise for dear life.

Nonplussed Cerise settle's Ashlynn down in a cushy throne-chair and tries to extract herself from the terrorized girl. "Sure thing, I like to go for a good run whenever I have the time, are you free after class? We can go a few laps before we meet everyone else for that study session."

"Hexcellent!" Briar cheers helping the other girl out of Ashlynn's tight grip.

Once free Cerise offers a salute before vanishing.

"I think Cerise just made a new friend." Raven muses in the ensuing silence.

"A new friend indeed!" Lizzie laughs. "Well off with their heads!" The girl of hearts cheered brandishing a steaming cup of tea out of nowhere.

"And may they have a rolling good times to come." Raven seemed to agree very seriously.

"That's the correct tongue girl!" Lizzie cheered Raven for her increasing understanding of riddleish.

Apple just blinked slowly at the four of them, she wondered for a guilty moment if everyone had lost their minds sometime between her falling victim to a poisoned apple and that strange column of light…

The princess shook herself of the thought, nothing was really out of the ordinary, well to Ever After High standards at least, maybe people were finally starting to relax into a new normal. That was fine with Apple all the edginess and nerves were starting to really get to her and as long as Raven didn't come home speaking strange riddleish and grinning like a loon at her then she had nothing to worry about.

Besides it was good to see Briar beginning to get her usual pep back, something that she had seemed to almost lose after thronecomming.

Apple watched amused from her spot standing in front of a seated witch as Raven massaged her cheeks in preparation. "My cheeks always get so sore in this class, is it really that necessary?"

Apple giggled, her previous worries melting away in the face of the witch's silliness. "Silly, all princesses have to prepare to greet their people when they become queens, our smile is one of our greatest assets it's how we keep the confidence of our people by letting them know that as Royals we will make sure to keep a stable kingdom. The power of our smile has been known to stop entire armies in the past."

Raven blinked mind working in the information. "So… you're working a form of magic? A type of princess smiling magic?"

Apple shrugged. "It is a power that many Royals are born with." Apple grins noticing how Raven's face was scrunched up so cutely in concentration, brain working to take apart and analyze all parts.

"So when you smile and just about everyone snaps to attention… it's because you're their queen? Well, princess in your case I guess."

"Ponder, if you will, the buzz, buzz of the humble bumble hive dance." Lizzie suggests.

Comprehension dawns on Raven. "Oh, well that makes sense. Thank you Lizzie."

Said girl grins holding her teacup in acceptance.

"What makes sense?" Apple looks towards Raven.

"Honey bee queens give the hive life and purpose, honey bees will do anything for their queen in return. It's a bit different for you but as a future queen, you give your people order and certainty, and if I'm translating this right, that is your magic, instilling trust as their leader." Raven explained eyes focusing far away in thought.

Apple tilted her head and nodded. "Yes that does sound fairly close to it. There are also other factors such as beauty, self-confidence, and reputation; with reputation for fairytale characters, as you are well aware, usually comes prepackaged the moment we are born; but, as you and the Rebels are also aware, if we do not try to fit in with the roll for long enough we can mostly break public expectations."

For a moment Apple is overcome with worry that she might have over stepped, Raven is sitting attentive but looking a little weary so she tries to elaborate.

"It was a positive thing for you, a very, very good thing as it has turned out after… everything, but for other characters breaking script is not a good thing at all."

Raven visibly relaxes. "So like if a Prince Charming up and decides to play the evil fairy queen?"

Apple tries not to giggle at the mental image of Daring with a wand and wings. "Yes that would be very bad for the public's sanity."

Raven smiled briefly but then frowned as a thought struck her. "So… you can't be yourself? At all? You have to follow your ancestors footsteps to the letter?"

"Not to the letter." Apple is quick to assure. "We use our ancestor's stories as… more of a guideline, someone for us to look up to and emulate to the mass public."

Raven smiles slightly looking at Apple in a way that makes her heart ease into comfortable warmth. "Like how you are kind, fare, and beautiful just like Snow White was, and yet still the lovely Apple White at the same time?"

Apple almost preens at the obvious compliment feeling incredibly happy that Raven, leader of the Rebel faction of all people was comparing her to her beloved ancestor. "You really think so?"

Raven smiles fully, it's almost blinding in it's own, shy, unpracticed way and Apple's cognitive functions curiously turn to mush. "I know so Apple, you emulate all the very best qualities of Snow White." Raven states with utmost certainty.

It's half startled and partly practiced instinct but Apple's returning smile is genuine and utterly blinding.

"Oh dear!" Ashlynn blinks rapidly willing her sight to return.

From her spot Lizzie uncovers her face and muffles a crow of victory, actually laughing out loud when several princesses awkwardly swoon on trained instinct but look as if they are confused as to why as they go down.

Cupid squints unseeingly at the spot she last saw princess and witch. "What… did I just see…?"

Briar who, like Lizzie, had seen the potential blinding smile coming uncovers her eyes to see an unaffected Raven looking around in innocent confusion while Apple continues to make moony eyes at the witch.

"Needles and spinning wheels, we all in trouble now." She bemoans to the ceiling.

"I can't see! Could somebody tell me where my chair is-" Blondie Lockes almost face plants into her seat making Briar wince. "Never mind, I found it."

XXX

Noonday light beams lazily into a room with a mirror propped up on an elegant wire stand in the center. The mirror holds no reflection, just a mass of shadowy wisps floating somewhere on the other side of the glass.

Like a slithering creature from the deep depths of the abyss a faint suggestion of a shadowy hand taps the glass, the protective spells rubbed into the surface flash and dish out a reprimanding sting.

But seemingly determined, tap, tap, goes the long fingers and flash, flash goes the glass until somewhere near the top there is a little give, a ripple, and barley a sting.

The creature hums wiggling the smallest finger gently at the top where the glass meets the frame. It should be somewhere… somewhere… there! A tiny, unsealed fissure where the magicked cloth did not touch, no doubt the seals were placed in after the frame was placed on the glass.

How hilariously careless, somebody should be asking for their money back.

A thin inky poisonous purple wisp of smoke gently, and painstakingly slowly, crawls out of the fissure and into the room beyond. It is slow, tiresome work but one wrong amateur slip will cause the seals to scream alarms and the sting to render the creature unconscious.

But the creature is skilled and so very patient, it takes time, how long the creature has long since lost the method of telling anything other than day and night from the other side, eventually enough there is enough smoky magic outside to complete the task.

The tendril stretches in the sun, basking in the warm light for a moment like a proud serpent. It slithers quietly under doors, keeping hidden in the shadows just incase someone unexpectedly walks into the empty Headmaster chambers.

The tendril creeps even more carefully when it reaches the messy outer study, the room closest to the office, it flexes experimentally into a sharpened needle a few times in preparation for a swift demise to any that might happen upon it and raise an alarm. By the time anyone noticed a corpse or a few, the deed would be done and any trace of the culprit would be safely tucked back into the mirror to wait patiently again.

The slithering tendril senses the air for a power close to its own, finding itself perplexed when it comes not more than a few feet away, stashed in a drawing table drawer.

If it could the tendril would be growling in irritation once it had squeezed through the keyhole to find the wand meant for the precious spawn to receive close to that ridiculous thronecomming celebration. Apparently all those boring speeches of "sticking to tradition" were just an excuse for the fool to hear himself talk.

The tendril curled around the finger bone wand feeling the captured power of the former Evil Queen and the coursing power of the current Evil Queen but none from the spawn! They did not even let her hold it!

Grumbling and not being as sneaky anymore, taking out a few infidels would make things feel a little better; the tendril opened the drawer and maneuvered its prize out.

What other travesties have they done?

Closing the drawer the tendril tapped into the wand's power in order to see if the Book was still… gone! Damn. Hmm… the spell should have transported the book three nights after the signing, using the power of the fresh birth names to activate the enchantment so the Book was either transported somewhere else or she would have to cut off someone's thieving paws…

Well it could not sense the tome anywhere near the campus so that meant that the Headmaster did not have it at least, really the man was such a fool! Putting the book and her not only in the same area, but just a few rooms away, and not even looking through the tome while he still had it to make sure she had not done anything to it. That was Giles's way of thinking and she was worried there for a while but then the Headmaster up and locked his brother away.

And never noticing all the havoc she had wrot on not only the Book but also several other… very sensitive items.

It was a miracle that this fancy hellhole was still standing with that man in charge.

Speaking of sensitive items…

The tendril's full attention was grabbed by a… something… something that she had felt pulse through her a while ago, the same thing that had cut through the strong sealing spells long enough to fill the mirror with blinding light. A little bit of the spawn's power; woven in a constant warm glow somewhere… there.

Sitting on a shelf, covered by a white cloth that was easily removed stood an elegant framed portrait written into the thread of the canvas of Eros.

And there in the thread was Raven.

The smoke caressed the image of the witchling who looked so very grown up, slight pangs of panic shot about as the residue of Raven's own magic left on the cloth acted as a barrier so the smoke could not touch the thread directly, as if to test this the smoke tendril tried spearing out the eyes of the blonde wench… no luck the magic was just too strong and the image of those beady blue eyes lay intact.

It was Raven's magic for certain but it was just so bright and warm and, and…

Good. It had turned good. This was a very distressing situation.

With one last lingering touch the smoke tendril retreated, carrying the wand with it.

Safely back in the room with the mirror, the Evil Queen tucks the wand away and out of sight, the tendril of herself outside the mirror flattens and merges with the shadows under the mirror's frame, backing, and in and around the stand itself, from inside her prison the woman settles in the ether for a rest.

She will be in need of all the rest she could get in order to break free and take back what was hers.


	4. The one where secrets are told

Author's note: (skip if you want I won't mind.)

Over fifty pages done in two weeks! A new record! Maybe it's all thanks to all of your lovely positive feedback? Thanks for the reviews!

I'll just list the following points so that when you read the chapter you can come back up here to understand why I decided to put those things into my story (note: this list will not make sense until you actually read the story).

1. That thing I wrote about the Headmaster's past? Yeah well I was wondering how I was going to proceed with his relationship with the rest of the story and in a moment of insanity while listening to the Evanescence song: Good Enough… _that_ was born (even though I can just hear some of ya'll hexclaiming; "Ew! Headmaster had a girlfriend! My brain is melting!) and just for my own personal amusement I wrote it in.

2. With all of the bandersnitches and the whole "off with your head" business I kind of suspect Wonderland had a violent past.

3. Cupid is the daughter of Eros and the future Goddess of Love so her upbringing is going to be_ very_ Greek/Roman and open-minded to all forms of love and the philosophies behind it.

4. As you can tell I did some research into Greek myths. Also as a result I found that in Greece it was perfectly acceptable and even encouraged for two men to be together. Also some fun things about the Isle of Lesbos!

5. That ritual Cupid is talking about? Yes something similar existed in many cultures throughout the world, whether it be for conformation of a new bride's chastity, an initiation into the priestess-hood, or a woman's personal thing, it happened. They have even found the handcrafted stone proof. Go look it up if you don't believe me.

Once again I hope you enjoy!

XXX

The one where secrets are told

XXX

"Briar, tell me the truth, just how worried is Hunter?" Raven fidgets guiltily with the dark lacquered wicker basket she carries.

Briar stops walking, her inner turmoil of thoughts revolving around a certain clueless princess and a love-struck witch is momentarily broken at Raven's question.

"Huh?"

Raven rubs the back of her head. "Well I- when I heard about that rumor going around right under my nose-"

"A rumor that you shouldn't be beating yourself up over because you have been too exhaustingly busy to do anything about it." Briar pointed out.

It wasn't as if anyone had informed the witch about the rumor in the first place, something that Briar felt a little guilty about, but she didn't regret not telling Raven either, the witch had enough to worry about as it was.

"Yeah, but still… Hunter is one of my closest friends and he has supported me from Legacy Day on… and Ashlynn too has been a big help recently and she makes Hunter so happy…" Raven tries to explain but the words keep rambling on out of her mouth without a point.

"It's ok to tell me what you're thinking Raven, I won't bite." Briar chuckled.

Raven sighed. "I'm thinking that they deserve more than half the truth."

Instinctively Briar looked around the large lawn bordering the enchanted forest for any eavesdroppers. "Are you sure about this?" Briar looked at Raven intently her voice lowered. "Not that I don't think that those two can't keep a secret, I mean they had taken everybody by surprise when they announced that they've been dating since first year, but are you alright with more people knowing?"

Raven shrugged a little awkwardly. "Well I do trust Hunter and you trust Ashlynn to keep a secret, and it's probably safer if they do know as a partial third party incase…" Raven grimaces thinking about her mother. "Incase something bad happens- yes I know that look, I'll explain what I mean at lunch and then you can relay the information to the others in one of those little meetings I am pretending that I don't know about."

Briar closes her mouth looking sheepish, so much for the secret matchmaking meetings.

Raven rolled her eyes with an amused smile. "Besides it's not like them or the whole school knowing is going to change anything between Apple or I, at least not on a romantic level."

The witch walked forward towards the forest missing Briar giving the sky a this-is-_so_-_funny_-that-it's-just-really-_really_-_not_-_funny_ type of exasperated look, and coincidently from somewhere above the narrators hummed and sighed in agreement.

"This is brewing into something ridiculous." The female voice commented.

"Well Raven and Apple are both pretty stubborn." The male voice sounded like it was shrugging.

"Thickheaded you mean, just how oblivious could two people be?" The female was incredulous.

Again the male seemed to shrug through his voice. "I guess we'll just have to watch and see."

The place where Hunter and Ashlynn instructed they all meet was a rather secluded wooded area with a large stump at the center with six large rocks placed for seating.

Raven hummed appreciatively at the warm sunbeams peaking through the cool shadowy growth before grinning widely at being enveloped in a warm bear hug.

"Raven, it's so good to see you!" Hunter expressed tears in his eyes, he held just a little tighter when Raven returned the hug with almost equal strength; she had built up some muscle in the hero classes and was already having to relearn her own strength, tasks that usually took several trips, like helping Apple carry all of those bags after the princess's monthly shopping spree, had been reduced in difficulty and all she really had to worry about was how many bags she could carry in both arms.

"Good to see you too Hunter, I've missed you this passed month." Raven confessed still grinning widely.

From somewhere to the side Ashlynn took pictures with her mirrorphone, the princess was so glad to see her boyfriend finally looking worry free and smiling without a care again. "Smile for the camera guys!"

"Only if you and Briar promise to be in some pictures too." Hunter negotiated, Raven stuck out one of her arms in offering.

Ashlynn readily joined in soon followed by Briar, by the last of the pictures there was a sense of tentative relief in the air.

"So Raven have you brought something special in that basket of yours?" Ashlynn asked slyly once everyone was seated and beginning to dig into their picnic lunch. "Does it have to do with those wonderful lotions and gels that Hunter's been giving me?"

Raven blinked in surprise as she relinquished her basket to Ashlynn who held it in her lap and ran her fingers over the material appraisingly. "I take it she has found out about your supplier."

Hunter laughed a little still looking a little raw around the edges but happy nonetheless. "Ah well I knew that I couldn't keep it a secret from her forever, not when she's so smart."

Ashlynn kissed his cheek in response then looked at the two of them knowingly. "I've always wondered where Hunter had managed to get such hexcellent brand-less homemade beauty products at such a good deal, I looked around all the decent homemade vendors in Bookends, all three of them didn't quite match up, but then I finally caught a break when I visited Cerise and Cedar's room with Briar and Blondie to help them do a critique on one of Raven's new recipes."

"You guys were part of the critique?" Raven stated in delight. She wasn't able to oversee the potential consumer's first review and critique herself because she had overview meetings on that week's Raven-the-test-subject findings, but with the help of Cerise, Cedar was able to do just fine on her own.

"Book yes!" Briar exclaimed. "Both Apple and Cerise have been going on about your little projects we wanted to see for ourselves what you two came up with. And by the way we all think that the new stuff with the Bleeding Rebel Hearts are just off the page! Blondie wants to be one of the first to write up her review when you guys go official with that estate you guys are working with, I don't know how you managed to catch their interest but I do know that they won't be disappointed."

Raven smiled feeling a blush overcome her face, her father had gushed and preened with fatherly pride about the recipes she had sent him over vid-chat on her mirrorphone. She had felt like she was small and learning to cast her first non-evil spells all over again but she knew he was happy that he could be apart of her life, at least a little bit, and she was just happy to be talking with him again without worrying about the wrong people finding out that he was her father.

"I'll be sure to tell Cedar that you liked it, we're still in the developing and testing stages so all the feedback we get is great. Though more tests and research has to be done before any mass marketing can take place, some of the basic non-magical uses have been approved by the professors and the researchers at the BMCA for personal use; there's a few things of the new stuff in the basket along with your usual favorites, and there's some stuff for Hunter too."

Ashlynn squealed excitedly giving Hunter a questioning look. "Do you think that it's alright to go through it now?"

"I don't see any problems." Hunter said looking curiously at the cloth covering basket opening.

They continued to eat as they extracted and got a good look at the gifts the witch had brought.

Hunter gave Raven a grateful look when he received some sword cleaner, topical antiseptic, some mystic healing balm, a sachet of odor eaters that smelled like the forest, and quick no-water enchanted laundry soap that smelled strong and spicy and manly.

"I heard that you guys will be going up against the leprechauns and their sheleighly sticks for the next bookball game." Raven said as if explaining why she chose to make these things for the boy.

Hunter blinked. "Sheleighly sticks?" he asked looking worried.

Briar hid a snicker behind a hand as Raven went on to explain. "The stick that they use to hit people with… I read that they're allowed to use them in the games."

"Might I ask for more of your healing balm?" The boy requested looking nervous.

"Already got a few tins waiting for the enchantment back at home, you'll get them by tomorrow." Raven nodded understandingly. "Don't worry, I got your back."

The princesses fawned over the perfume, bath gels, lotion, and a few herbal pillows with accompanying oils, Raven instructed them on how to use them for aromatherapy to help them relax after a rough day, or to help the body wake up in the morning.

"You can even use the perfume to help you study." Raven said to the very attentive girls. "When you are studying a certain subject just spritz a little close by and when you go in for the test you wear that perfume to trigger the memory of what you studied."

"So you're using your other senses to help you retain the memory." Briar nodded understandingly.

"Hexcactly." Raven agreed.

When they had almost finished off all of the food, there was one larger item discovered in the basket that really surprised the Princesses.

"Glass slipper glamour oil? Raven how did- did you make this?" Ashlynn breathed.

Raven shrugged looking a little embarrassed. "I've been retested on all the types of spells I've ever been taught, last week was all about glamour-y and I had a bunch of the stuff left over as a result so I figured that you or someone you knew would like it."

"What's this glamour oil?" Hunter asks, looking over his girlfriend's shoulder.

"It puts a partial invisibility, partial glamour spell onto the shoes to make them look like their made of glass, only witches with a certain magic element can make this and only the Grand Coven is licensed to make and sell the potion, it's normally super expensive, not even the shop carries it because there isn't enough buyers with the money to pay for it."

All disbelieving eyes turn towards Raven who squirms slightly. "I'm a future member so I've got a license to make and sell, plus even with my magic color change I can- as far as I can tell- still go universal on any known spell so…" She shrugs helplessly. "If I ever needed to I could survive fairly well on my own making this kind of stuff." Just as how Evil Queens of the past have survived when they either had to hide away from the world or it was time for them to leave the Queen Estate for good.

As witches Evil Queens _might_ actually have the ability live for centuries if they were determined enough, _might_ being the key word since it was rare for Evil Queens to make themselves known to the public once the granddaughter was born and even rarer still for them to stick around long enough for the granddaughter to get to know them so there was just rumors and vague stories from the early days to go by.

Raven knew, theoretically, that she had relatives living somewhere in the world (quite possibly, she strongly suspected, some of the crones in the Grand Coven could be some of her many times great-grand mothers or perhaps the secret daughters of past Evil Queens loomed after their mother's story was over), it would be nearly impossible to tell without a maternity test though because she highly doubted that anyone would willingly give up their real identities or tell their daughters (Evil Queens have never borne sons) of who they are really related to, but whether they knew of her existence, or cared for that matter, was an utter mystery to her.

She wondered what any of them would be thinking of her Rebel cause, she did not know for certain but if her theories about having the ability to forge one's own destiny, to hell with tradition and the Book, proved true then most would probably not be too thrilled with having to be labeled "Evil" and being feared so much most had to disappear after a while for absolutely nothing.

Seeing an opening both Ashlynn and Briar look at each other and nodded, but before either one has a chance to say a word Hunter surprises them by speaking up first.

"Sorry if I'm breaking the mood… but about your magic…" He begins awkwardly.

Raven places an understanding hand on his arm. "I know, I had first heard about that rumor just earlier today and I apologize for not realizing how worried everyone was, I assure you I am not dying, nor do I plan on going anywhere for a very, very long time."

Hunter lets out a breath that he felt like he'd been holding for the whole month. "Ashlynn told me, and really Raven between those psychotic healers and all those classes, myself and all the Rebels I've talked to understand why you haven't been able to really socialize much… you're really ok?" He asks worriedly, and Raven's heart breaks ever so slightly she has no doubts now in telling these two friends the whole story.

She smiles shakily at the two of them. "Yeah, as long as I don't sign the book or poison Apple nothing bad will happen to me."

Hunter sucks on his inner cheek for a moment considering. "Is it ok for me to ask what happened hexactly?" Ashlynn had told him the little tidbit about how Raven could not harm Apple and that had got him even more curious as to what exactly went down a month ago.

Raven and Briar exchange looks, Raven nods firmly making Briar sigh at that familiar determined look, Apple was really rubbing off on her. "Yes it is ok, actually both Raven and I had agreed that you two should know about everything that happened that day. And I do mean everything, but I'm afraid you guys will have to keep a pretty big secret from Apple once you know everything, can you do that?"

The two blink bewildered for a moment before Ashlynn clutches Hunter's hand and wordlessly signals that she is willing if he is so Hunter nods his head for the two girls to continue.

They tell them everything, it's mostly Raven talking but some parts are just too much and she struggles until Briar jumps to continue the story until Raven is ready to take over again, they tell them about the poisoning, the True Love's Kiss, Raven's long-time feelings for Apple, the discovery of her change of magical color, everything; for their part Ashlynn and Hunter keep silent but their eyes seem to get wider with each passing minute.

"Well…" Ashlynn says bewildered after the two girls are done talking. "I guess it was a very lucky thing that you decided not to sign the book."

"Tell me about it." Briar agrees heartily, her blood ran cold every time she thought about just how close the witch had come to a certain end.

Hunter is quiet for a moment, thinking.

"Hunter?" Raven asks nervously.

Hunter gives the witch a tiny, encouraging smile, reaching over to pat the girl's hand. "Of all the people to fall in love with, huh?" He says understandingly albeit a little pityingly.

Raven gives a humorless giggle that's half of relief. "That was basically Maddie's response, but yes I do, I really do love her with all my heart." She says with feeling. "And that's why she can never know, before finding out about my True Love for her I have always known that I'd never have a chance, and as long as she was happy I was fine with just having my one-sided feelings and cherishing my friendship with her while I could."

She sighs smiling knowingly. "I want Apple to find someone to love and be happy with because she wants to be with them, despite this whole True Love thing I do not want her to just settle for me out of obligation, it would break my heart to cage her up like that. I know that we can both find love somewhere else, just because it's not True Love does not mean that we can't find happiness. "

Hunter nods. "Hey I understand where you're coming from completely and you know what; I'm proud of you for being so brave and staying true to yourself with this whole situation. I'm also glad that you trust us enough to tell us everything."

Hunter actually felt more than glad that Raven had decided to confide in him, he was actually very honored. It humbled him somewhat knowing that back when they were kids and before he understood that it wasn't the witch's fault to be born into the Evil Queen family, he had bullied her almost relentlessly.

She had never cried actual tears so he never really understood that he was hurting her until he stumbled on her dry sobbing in an isolated corner of an empty classroom one day covered in bruises.

She had yelled at him when she had spotted him standing there like a bewildered fool, he had called her heartless and unfeeling earlier because she hadn't cried like the other girls when the class goldfish-serpent kicked it, and like an idiot he had asked why she was crying but had no tears.

She exploded then, her magic encircling her protectively, she screamed as only a young child who had done nothing to deserve all the hurt of the world to be brought down onto her shoulders could. He could do nothing but stand there, tears forming in his own eyes, as she asked him why everybody tried to hurt her; her mother, other kids, strangers, adults even; and then she had pulled her torn and mussed dress up exposing all of these horrifying large scars on her chest, belly, peeking up over her underwear on her hips and upper thighs, and from the looks of the reddened and puckered skin on her sides she had some on her back too.

Over his rising nausea she had dared him, if he really hated her so much, to do more than pinch her and call her names.

When he did nothing but stand there frozen with both hands covering his mouth she ran off. He would have ran after her right then and there and told her that he was sorry, that he never really thought about her feelings, that he felt like the worst villain in the world now, but he was too busy hurling his guts out into Sparrow Hood's desk (which was fine because Sparrow was a jerk-face even back then, to this day the guitar boy still had no clue as to who had made such a mess in his desk and was still very sore about it) to do any of that.

And then the following day the witch wasn't there for him to properly tell her anything and Raven didn't go to school anymore for years until the first year of Ever After High, he had apologized first chance he got but from the downtrodden look of her… well everything, he knew that his overdue sorry was too little too late.

Raven had blown him completely away on Legacy Day; how she had thrown off her resigned sadness and regained that fire he had seen that time when they were little. She may not have meant to become a leader of a revolution, but she had certainly became a very good one right away, it seemed almost like she was born for the roll.

She did not judge people for being different, she set her own example fearlessly, she helped people even if they weren't in her own faction, and supported their decisions whether they were Rebel, Royal, or somewhere in between.

By some miracle the two of them managed to become pals, something that only Ashlynn (the only person whom he had told this whole story to) knew just how grateful he was for this.

In his personal thoughts though it was Apple White who was seriously missing out on having a chance to be with Raven. He knew that the witch would (and does currently) treat the stubborn princess like she was the salt of the earth, even if Apple never appeared to really appreciate it all because Raven was being a kind sweetheart and not acting like an Evil Queen, or fitting into this preconceived idea of a "frienemy", what ever that was Hunter was sure that it wasn't a real thing and it only existed in the mind of Apple White.

Actually Raven definitely deserved better than someone who'd rather stick their head in the ground and be told what to do all their life. In his humble opinion the witch lowering herself to being in a relationship with someone like that would not be very good. Heck, it would be downright unhealthy, knowing Apple White's tendency to be all disapproving and willing to watch her best friends be all miserable because she felt that they had to fulfill their destiny.

Which was downright cold by the way, he was there when the princess had disapproved of Ashlynn's life choices, namely him, to the point where their relationship was in jeopardy, and he was still there for his girl whenever she'd come back from hanging out with her supposed "friend" with that familiar tightly betrayed look around her eyes.

Raven definitely deserved better. He knew that you couldn't help who you fell in love with but you could stop yourself from being trapped in an unhealthy relationship, it would hurt to just give up and walk away from her True Love, he had no doubts that it would, but at least it would better for Raven to have a chance to be with somebody in a loving, healthy relationship, who would be willing to be with her just because they _loved Raven_, not for the sake of some grand illusion of a _fairytale story_.

While Hunter reaches out to give Raven a hug, Ashlynn meanwhile is looking at Briar sympathetically as the other princess makes a brief gesture of frustration at the sky. They had both seen that in reality Raven actually had a better chance with Apple than what the witch thought she had, that is if Apple by some miracle stopped being so obsessed with her story long enough to see what was right in front of her, Ashlynn was actually starting to worry for the other princess's sanity if Briar had been dealing with the same thing she had seen in class that morning this whole time.

"Well you two are fantastic at keeping secrets and how can I not trust a guy who had pulled me out of the snow in the middle of the night?" Raven chuckled a little shakily.

Hunter chuckled too remembering how he had peered out the window one cold winter's night to see who was talking outside only to blanch at seeing the witch half frozen and delirious while huddling over some flower.

"I knew that girls liked flowers but you seemed to have liked that one a little too much." They both burst out in weak but startled laughter.

It had not been so funny back then but they could definitely laugh about it now. The look on Apple's face, Hunter recalled had been priceless, if the situation hadn't been so serious at the time he would've loved to have taken a picture of the princess when she had taken that first look of the witch-popsicle grinning from ear to ear at the sight of Apple and then proceeding to declare things in delirious ramblings.

If there was one good thing Hunter could say about the princess was that she did take good care of her friends (as long as it didn't have anything to do with destinies), she had made certain that Raven got better quickly and had made certain that another incident did not happen again.

How Apple White could ever see witch as the Evil Queen after that experience had Hunter mystified, Raven seemed way more at home out in the wilderness studying things like a curious kid than plotting evil deeds in some dark and musty castle.

Suddenly a thought struck the huntsman. "What has the Headmaster had to say about all this?" Hunter's voice is a pitch or two higher than normal; his brain could just not compute how the crazy old man had taken this situation.

Raven rubs her temple sobering up slightly. "Not very much surprisingly, we both agree that Apple should preferably never find out about all this so there's nothing to fight about anymore, during the overview meetings he just asks basic stuff like if I have noticed whether there has been any _other_ out of the ordinary things going on with my magic, and my progress for that particular week. According to Giles he's been buried in old books trying to find out if at least one of our ancestors had the forethought to study True Love in depth, or if there are any records of a witch having a True Love bond, he hasn't had much luck."

Raven had actually seen the man's study and personal library once or twice, it had looked as if and explosion had went off. She didn't really know what to feel about that particular issue, one day the Headmaster was all gun hoe to make her become the Evil Queen, then the next…

Raven never understood the Headmaster's reasoning to have everyone fulfill a roll, whether they wanted to or not, but for some scary reason the whole Rebel versus Royal issue no longer seemed to be a big concern with him.

Raven had her suspicions as to _who_ that scary reason was, and if true, for once she and the Headmaster would be on the same page about something.

Her mother, the Evil Queen must never succeed in whatever she was planning.

"He is worried," Raven continued, "and I think I know why… you know how all of those instruments used for searching out compatible love matches were tampered with? ...How m-my- the Evil Queen is primarily suspected to be the culprit?"

"Oh dear." Ashlynn whispered holding her free hand to her mouth.

Raven huddled in on herself subconsciously. "She is too smart and too powerful to allow herself to be locked up forever… she wants me to follow in her footsteps, I know her, the only reason she's stayed in that mirror this long is because she's been waiting for me to find out that the Grimm brothers have imprisoned her, and for me to… to break her out."

"She's- she's insane!" Raven exclaimed. "Sometimes I've wondered if she's a human or a witch at all! After all the things she's done and yet she still expects me to- after what she did-"

"Raven?" Briar touches the witch's shoulder lightly. Hunter and Ashlynn who know about the scars grimace.

Raven shakes herself, taking a breath before continuing in a more composed tone. "Not signing the Book and denying my old destiny would be bad enough on it's own, but now my magic's changed, it's good now, not all twisted up from generations of Evil Queens, and what she'd see as an even greater offense is the bond that I share with Apple, she holds my heart now and for a witch and an Evil Queen that is- that kind of magic is very taboo."

Hunter looks at Raven intently. "So that rumor that Evil Queens can't find love and a happy life is…"

"Only partially true, and that is only in the right context." The witch gestures vaguely. "It is possible for an Evil Queen to find someone that they are particularly fond of and to love them but social stigmas aside, falling in love to the point that the Evil Queen gives her heart to her lover is a very big no-no."

She pauses thinking of the best way to articulate her point. "Have you ever heard about possessing a witch's heart and living forever? Well taking that literally has proven to be ineffective, and gross, but metaphorically, having a witch fall madly in love with you to the point where she willing to give you her heart… that is some very strong magic."

"With a witch's heart, so long as the witch is alive and still in love with them, humans and other creatures can live ageless for an average witch's lifetime, which can be centuries, and are protected throughout their lifetime by that witch's magic. There have even been some cases where the witch dies but the person they gave their heart to, is still protected by their magic, these people may still age but they live a very long time. Since Apple's my True Love, which is an infinitely stronger bond, she can theoretically bend my magic which lies within her heart as if it were her own and since Evil Queens need to be unattached and vicious in order to fulfill their tale…"

Ashlynn's eyes widen. "Your mother's going to come after Apple when she finds out?"

Raven sighs. "She can't kill Apple without killing me, and she can't kill me because my magic will just cement itself to Apple and live inside her for the rest of her life, I do not know just what she is planning on doing but I do know that My mother probably already knows about Apple and I and she is not happy about it. I mean she did take the time and trouble to hide this whole _True Love_ thing all those years ago… for the moment the few faculty that know, and my father, are on high alert."

"Is this what you have been so worried about earlier today?" Briar asks even though she already knows the answer.

The witch fidgets in her seat. "The Headmaster wants to keep everyone from going into a blind panic so he's keeping things quiet, but since you guys are always around either Apple or myself I want you guys to be aware of this so that when she does break loose you guys can hideout long enough for the Grand Coven to fly in and bear down their forces with everything they've got. The good news is that new plant, the Bleeding Rebel Hearts, has proven to be a hexcellently strong anti-curse agent, I'm hoping that we'll soon have created something that can hold my mother back long enough for everyone to get out of harms way."

In the heavy silence that follows Briar leans closer to the witch, the gears of her mind running on hyper drive. "You said that your magic would protect Apple, that if she wants to she can use your power as if it were her own… Would that protect Apple from your- the Evil Queen?" Briar's voice and gaze are steady and intense as she questions Raven in _that tone_ where she is really asking for the other to elaborate a plan to protect her BFFA.

Raven nods her head both as an answer to the spoken question and confirmation that she knows what is really being asked. "Yes, I'm not too sure when, but the healers have been planning out a special class just for Apple and I to learn how to use our bond with my magic… the Headmaster seems to be reluctant to go through with it though, every time it comes up in meetings he finds an excuse to push it back."

"Why the heck would he be reluctant?" Ashlynn, for once beats her boyfriend to the enraged outcry.

Raven holds her hands up helplessly. "I don't really know, maybe he's worried that Apple will somehow find out? I mean, yes Apple will find out eventually, but that's like after we graduate or way far into the future when she's sixty and wondering why she still looks young enough to be in high school. I'm fairly confident that if given the chance I can keep from telling Apple the truth while still keeping the fact that I'm her True Love a secret. However the ultimate decision is not ultimately up to the Headmaster, it's up to Healer Phalange and I know that she will get her way no matter what." Seriously, when it came to her patients it seemed that all that the woman had to do was give a really mean glare and even death would bend to her will more often than not.

Briar hummed, seemingly satisfied that something would be done soon, and she had met Healer Phalange a few times before, the Headmaster stood no chance.

"Is there anything else that we can do?" Hunter asked looking ready for battle.

Raven smiled feeling touched. "Your guy's support means more to me than you can possibly know, as far as anything else is concerned I'm afraid that we'll all just have to wait until we know more about the Bleeding Rebel Hearts and what having a True Love bond with a witch entails, I do promise to keep you up to speed when we do find something."

"Whatever you need Raven." Ashlynn assures, already knowing that both Hunter and herself were going to willingly jump headlong into this and do what they could for their best friends.

"Thank you." Raven says sincerely, feeling very grateful that she had by some miracle made herself such fantastic friends.

"Anytime." Hunter gives a little half smile, looking determined.

"Let's start heading back, I know of a certain witch who needs to practice her graceful fainting for Princessing one o' one~." Briar sings Raven groans good humoredly, making the table laugh.

XXX

"Heh, ha, ha! Gold! Gold! Gold! ...Vat… vait a minute, zis iz not gold…"

Raven ignored Professor Rumpelstiltskin's half insane muttering and kept focused at weaving the straw provided, she had never tried her hand at this before, mostly because it was usually "maiden's only" magic work and the fact that the before mentioned height-challenged-professor dished this type of work out as punishment and kept trying to find ways to get his student's into trouble so that he could have an excuse to get them all to spin him some money without letting his students get a cut of the profits.

Now that she was here though she begrudgingly found this whole weaving straw into gold business kind of fascinating, the witch had soon discovered that as she began weaving the materials into the spinning wheel that the transforming material sort of had this feeling, this magical… glow. She couldn't see it with her naked eye but she could sense it, and if she focused some of her power into the third eye chakra to the point where she could sort of actually see the magic that was transforming the plant material into gold… the straw had this color… which could only be described as a color of non-judgment and friendliness.

Normally non-judgment and friendliness did not have a color but with magic all sorts of rules were broken, and this had Raven completely enthralled.

After a few yards of gold she found that if she were to tweak the colorful cords of magic to a different rhythm the colors changed completely.

"Vat iz zis?" Professor Rumpelstiltskin held up a thin silvery strand sounding hilariously perplexed.

"That I believe would be silver." Answered Baba Yaga looking thoroughly amused.

"I know vat it iz, but vy iz she making zis and not gold?" the little man demanded.

"This is an exorcise into her powers as a witch it is only natural for her to want to expand past the same boring thing." The crone shrugged smugly, grinning wickedly at the other professor's outcry.

"Ak! Iz not even silver anymore!"

"Hm yes, it looks a lot like oxidized copper to me."

Hidden above in the shadows of the school dungeon's viewing balconies Milton Grimm allowed a small humored smile as he watched Baba Yaga toy with Rumpelstiltskin while Raven completely ignored her elders and continued on with her task.

The afternoon light filtering in through the bars of the tiny high windows cast the stone room in a lazy golden glow. For a moment a beam settled directly on Miss Queen, but for an instant, in the time between heartbeats, it was not Raven Queen sitting at the spinning wheel.

The elder man's heart clenched painfully at the brief vision of silky black hair streaked with bold sections of poisonous crimson and skin as pale as the moon contrasting with an elegant black and dark blue dress from another, long passed era, and he had to look away blinking back the welling tears.

"Is there a reason that you are hiding in the shadows brother?"

Milton did not startle at the sound of his brother Giles's voice far too used to a lifetime of his sibling appearing out of seemingly nowhere.

"Just checking up on one of my student's." The Headmaster states truthfully.

Giles looks over his brother's shoulder curiously.

"Iz not gold eizer! Vat iz zis anyvay? Iz breaking avart in my hand! Aw vooey!" Rumpelstiltskin threw a handful of brittle metallic substance into a nearby scrap barrel, which unbeknown to him had several inches of rainwater that had leaked in last night and collected at the bottom.

Once the metal makes contact with the water a chemical reaction is set into motion igniting the water in an explosive fire.

"Potassium, maybe magnesium." Baba Yaga lists out nonchalantly.

"Eeek! Make her stop! She vill kill us all! No boom! iz you listening? No boom!" the little man screams as he frantically tries to find a place to safely put the rapidly growing pile of explosive metal.

Giles bites back laughter as he watches. "I'd hazard to say that she's doing fairly well."

An explosion briefly lights up the space followed by Russian curses and cackling laughter.

"Yes, I… I suppose that she is." Milton says looking a little lost.

Giles looks at his brother sympathetically. "She is a lot like her grandmother." He says simply, knowingly, that one small observation spoke of volumes between a few words.

Milton makes a pained sound of dismissal. "I'll admit that she does have Elenore's hardheadedness, although I'm fairly certain that Elenore would be raising her famous brow at her granddaughter's Rebel cause…" He trailed off, trying to imagine what the older witch's reaction _would be_. His mind worked at it but it could not quite conjure up anything substantial.

"Well Rebellious causes or no, Elenore would definitely appreciate you not trying to get Raven banished for it." Giles states cautiously trying to sense out his brother's state of mind, Milton had been unusually docile this past month.

The Headmaster flinched. "That was all done during father's time as Headmaster, such archaic measures should not be brought down upon the shoulders of the students under _my_ care." He says flippantly trying to downplay his decisions.

Giles eyes Milton.

Milton fidgets. "What?"

"You have been very docile the past while in matters concerning Raven." Giles voices.

Milton looks down, watching numbly as a completely focused Raven Queen spins out wires of titanium.

"It isn't because they are both young ladies if that's what you are worried about." The Headmaster grumbles miserably.

Giles already knows this but he nods anyway.

"I mean Miss Queen is a witch. Witch's and other magical beings such as fairies and mermaids are hardly concerned with other groups telling them who to fall in love with." Milton scoffs. "That and Elenore would definitely appear from wherever she's staying for her retirement to have my head on a platter if word ever reached her that I was out to maliciously do anything to her granddaughter."

"Then if that is not the issue, why have you been avoiding Raven whenever possible? Sans those review meetings of coarse." Giles's voice is kind but insisting.

Caught red handed, Milton turned back to the scene below with unseeing eyes.

"She will die if she were to sign the book and complete her destiny." He whispers hoarsely, it was a fool's errand to try to lie to Giles. "If that incident hadn't happened last month, if Miss Queen had signed the book on Legacy Day… Thronecomming…"

Milton takes a breath, hands gripping the back of a chair with white knuckles. "She's my student Giles, she's my student and she is Elenore's- it was my responsibility to protect her and yet so easily she could have- I tried to protect her by getting her to stop her dangerous Rebel cause but now the greatest Evil we know could be coming and because of this- Because of her True Love with Miss White I cannot…" He stops unable to say anymore.

Giles sighs taking his brother's hand firmly but kindly. "There was nothing you could do brother, even if the Rebels never existed and Raven and Apple did not have a True Love bond, the great Evil would have still come, we both know that traditions and the Book could only continue on for so long until there was an Evil strong enough to go against all of our best defenses. All of this is for the vain hope of delaying the inevitable and it is our duty as the heads of this school to make certain _that_ Evil cannot harm Raven ever again."

Milton looks to his brother in surprise. "Again? Brother do you know something that I do not?"

Giles hesitates. "Milton… just how long has it been since you have heard from Elenore?"

Milton scrunches his face up in thought. "That letter she wrote to me warning of the Evil Queen's poisoning of Wonderland was the last trace that I've heard in years… she is no doubt disgraced by her daughter's actions, although I do wish that she'd contact me once again. She should know that I'd never hold her accountable for her horrible child's actions." Milton mumbles a little sadly.

Giles breaths deeply, trying to keep the panic down, his contacts had warned of bodies identified to be of former Evil Queens, used as a main medium in some ancient forbidden dark form of sacrificial magic, turning up in several secret lairs of the current one.

The current Evil Queen who was just so very _monstrous_ and _so very_ _Evil_ that she put her founding ancestor's crimes to shame.

"Brother?" Milton asks curiously. "What do you mean by "again"? Has the Evil Queen done something to Miss Raven Queen?"

Giles grimly shakes his head. "That is not a tale that I have a right to tell Milton, but I will say that I have been reconnecting with my connections in the Grand Coven and from what I have found out… brother, I beg you to move that mirror to a more secure location, or even to hand her over to the Grand Coven itself."

Headmaster Milton Grimm shrinks back in horror. "We cannot do that!" He hisses still aware that raising his voice would draw undo attention. "The Evil Queen has made herself a lot of enemies, we both know that she is… ill in the head, my Headmaster chambers are the only place where she is safe from those who would like nothing but to tear her apart."

"And when she breaks free she will have no qualms about tearing _everyone_ apart." He glances briefly to an unaware Raven. "From what my sources have told me, that _especially_ includes Raven."

Milton looks frantically between his brother and Raven Queen. "But she- her own daughter-"

"She tampered with the canvas and compass Milton, you said so yourself that if Raven were to sign the book she'll perish, if she cared at all about Raven then she would not have tried to steer her into a guaranteed demise. I know that she is Elenore's witchling, but remember brother; _Raven_ is of Elenore too, even more so like her than her horrible mother." Giles said lowly trying to keep his voice calm.

Milton looks at Giles helplessly.

"Raven? Classes are over, I know we said that we'd meet up over by the gardens but I figured it'd be easier to walk over together so I'm here to pick you up." Apple White's voice rings clearly in the stone room below.

Raven looks up from the spinning wheel; a goofy smile appears over black painted lips, the wheel, which is still turning, glows visibly bright.

"Platinum." Baba Yaga peers at the metal wire produced with her head cocked to the side, she does not look surprised.

"Finally! Somefink zat is actually worth somefink!" Rumplestiltskin cheers reaching for the produced metal greedily.

"So…" Apple takes a look around, the room looks like a wire filled war zone and Baba Yaga is looking disturbingly amused. "I take it that you can spin straw into more than just gold."

"Magically produced potassium and magnesium has more potent explosive properties." Raven grins uncaringly, as if such a statement would explain everything.

Apple had been around Raven long enough to know that was basically Raven-speak for; "I just learned how to do something new and potentially explosive."

"I can see that." The princess eyes the carbon remains of explosion patterns on the floor and ceiling with a bemuse smile. "Well I'm glad to see that you had a good time." She did not ask for the witch to elaborate because Raven could go on for hours chattering about magic theory, it was a cute little quirk but they didn't have the time to both study, eat, and have the witch talking her head off.

Raven stops the wheel and gets up to stand beside Apple. "I did surprisingly enough, at the very least there is one princess skill that I've been able to take to. These damsel classes have proven to be un-hexpectedly interesting and more difficult to accomplish than at first glance." The witch admitted sheepishly.

Apple chuckled, the sound making Raven visibly soften around the edges. "I felt the same way when I took that evil class last semester, it's a lot of work to be a storybook villain, a lot more than just cackling evilly and poisoning apples." The princess turns to admire a coil of silver.

Raven just barley flinches but still keeps her smile and lets out an amused huff all the same. "Yeah I suppose so." She says lightly a certain emotion crossing her features beneath the easy smile.

Milton finds himself flinching as Miss Raven Queen is overlaid with a memory of her grandmother, Elenore made the exact same face whenever her future as the Evil Queen was brought up by him. He could almost see the memory as if it were yesterday; the two of them too often had similar conversations, albeit it was over helping each other with coarse-work, but the structure of the conversation was the same.

He remembered hearing her melodious voice saying; "_Yes I do suppose it is so Milton darling.",_ in place of Miss Raven Queen's response, as her face morphed into that same bittersweet look.

"How was your day? You learn anything new?" Raven asked, quickly changing subjects.

Changing the subject, asking someone else about their course-work, just like Elenore.

Apple turned back to Raven with a shrug. "Oh nothing new really, we were just practicing being carried off into the sunset by our princes." Her blonde brows furrowed. "Daring was a little stiff today, I hope he's alright."

Raven covered another, larger flinch with a shrug of her own. "I bet that it's nothing to worry about, I'm sure that when you are carried off into the sunset and into your happy ending it will go off without a hitch." Raven's tone is slightly higher than normal.

"It won't be the same without you in it." The princess murmured taking Raven's hands in both her own.

Raven gave a weak smile squeezing Apple's hands gently. "I'm sure that you will get your happily ever after with your prince by your side, you are Apple White the future queen after all."

For a brief moment there was no overlapping between the present heartbroken witch and the heartbroken witch from his memories, all Milton could see was Elenore.

"_My dear Milton, there is no need for you to apologize I knew from the beginning that my destiny would come between us, no matter how much I have come to love you."_

"But what about you Raven?" Apple asks in distress. "Without the story-"

"I will be fine, I'm determined to get passed all of this and forge my own happy ending." Raven interrupts, her voice soft and kind.

The princess looks lost and uncertain so the witch chances gently placing a hand upon a fare cheek. "I will be fine, you don't have to worry."

"_Marrying me and thus bearing all the scorn of my reputation, having to watch our daughter have to deal with the hardships of becoming the Evil Queen… it would break your heart beloved, I could never stand to see you go through such misery at the cost of loving me."_

The princess rests her gloved hand over the witch's. "I'm always going to worry Raven." Apple warns as a statement of fact.

Raven just smiles and nods understandingly. "And I'll spend the rest of my life showing you that there never was a need to worry."

"_I am so sorry my love."_

"I'll hold you to that." The princess lets the issue drop for the moment, taking the still captured witch's hand and leading the way out the door.

"Vat did I just see?" Rumplestiltskin asks the room at large managing to pull off looking very perplexed despite his unruly beard and bearskin hat, which was so big it covered his eyes.

Baba Yaga just rolls her eyes to the ceiling.

"You are right brother." Milton admits sounding very young and sad.

Giles who had been watching the exchange between the two girls with both eyebrows touching his hairline and an exasperated look overall, turns at his brother's tone of voice in concern.

"Miss Raven Queen is just like Elenore… Too much like Elenore sometimes." Milton elaborated sorrowfully.

XXX

"There has to be something somewhere in these old books…" Blondie muttered as she scowered through one of a small pile of books related to witches, magic color, and history.

There had to be something in the old books that could explain hexactly what was going on with Raven, and to also explain why everyone who had been in the room with her when that mysterious light went off had been acting so… strange.

Once Briar had calmed her down from her initial panic about a month ago Blondie had taken the time to, _calmly_, piece together the timeline of the beginning of the rumor about how Raven was going to die from her magic color change, (Ashlynn had been very forthcoming with what she had seen) which all had started in Professor Jack B. Nimble's class.

Blondie had found that the rumor was indeed unfounded and was willing to believe that; although the whole situation was weird, it wasn't something to get into a tizzy about. For a little while Blondie had given up actually researching Raven's condition and was just fine with the explanations provided.

…But then as time went on she had noticed some of her friends, most of them Royals, acting… strange. Now as a reporter with an instinct for a good story she just could not let that go, it would just not be right for her to let things be.

It felt like they were all… hiding something, it wasn't apparent right away that there might be something wrong, aside from the cover story given out by the headmaster, after all the whole unicorn incident had made her naturally suspicious as to what the man had to say about… well everything.

If it were really just a matter of Raven's change in magic color then why was Apple in such distress? Sure she could see her friend being all worried about whether or not she'd be able to complete her destiny but the princess was acting like the witch was going to disappear and it was all her fault, which was very odd considering a change in magic color was not directly lethal.

Why were Maddie and Kitty acting so serious? …Well serious by Wonderland standards, they were still silly and mad but they were also very… protective and… well Blondie had no idea that there was a Wonderland style of martial arts that was apparently comprised of ancient techniques used for hunting bandersnitch and/or something about hunting warring tribes. Blondie would have investigated further but she found that investigating that might accidently lead her to walk in on- just since when did those two become a couple? And where did they learn how to- …never mind.

She'll just follow Cerise's advice and pretend she had never tried to listen in on their conversation from their balcony… or climb up to investigate the strange noises… or most of all had witnessed-… or become so traumatized that she fell and was luckily saved by Cerise who had kindly taken her frozen-in-pure-mortification body back to her room and consoled her that at least her room was quite a ways away and that she did not have to hear _that_ almost every night (which had led Blondie to one conclusion and she really pitied Cerise).

Why were Briar and Cerise periodically making strangling motions towards the sky? Those two had become unexpected friends recently and often shared looks and did the strange looking-frustratingly-at-the-sky thing. It was odd enough to take note of because of the increasing frequency of this act.

Why were Lizzie and Daring found conspiringly whispering to each other while looking over trashy girly magazines (something that she knew Lizzie would not be caught dead with normally and Daring… just- no), and… bridal magazines; not just any bridal magazines either but ones printed specifically for fairies and mages, catering to… same-sex female marriages? She had looked just as stumped as Dexter, who was also wondering why his brother was acting oddly and had helped her acquire some samples of magazines. Suffice to say the younger Charming brother almost looked as if his brain was leaking out his ears when he left to put the stolen goods back to where he found them.

She would have guessed that they were looking at things for Kitty and Maddie but that seemed a little extreme (even though the two girls had been very extreme in some parts of their relationship) considering that they were all still in high school and the couple in question's relationship wasn't hexactly known to the public.

But that theory had met a dead end because both Lizzie and Daring were completely surprised when the couple walked down the main hallway practically fused at the hip, Daring had actually wondered out loud whether Maddie had been injured which she was clearly not as a perplexed Lizzie pointed out, they both seemed to eventually surmise that it was probably just a Wonderland burst of companionship… or something.

Blondie was left really confused.

Why was Cedar jumping at shadows and trying to avoid people who would question her about Raven's welfare? The girl for some reason got permission from the Headmaster to constantly carry around a bag of really crunchy snacks so that if someone had somehow managed to corner her, a feat onto its own as the girl seemed to have the sudden ability to hide behind two blades of grass, she just continued to crunch away on her snack until the questioner got queasy from watching the girl talk with her mouth full.

Blondie had firsthand experience with this on more than one occasion; she could positively say that the sight was not something one just got used to.

Why were they all secluding Raven (who miraculously seemed oblivious to being secluded) from everyone else? Raven was practically never without at least one person from that group and they were either hurrying her to a class, doctor's appointment, or spiriting her off to one of their rooms so that she could "rest", which she would admit that the witch did seem to need the rest because it had become a common sight to see Raven, sound asleep, being carried by Daring or cerise.

She could see the logic of being supportive and helping Raven with her crazy new schedule, but it seemed as though they were not permitting anyone, Rebel or Royal, to even talk to the witch. Apple especially had made it her mission to run interference from people who wanted to ask after the witch… or those with the audacity to accuse Raven of anything.

That last thing _never_ ended well. Apple wasn't just a future queen on paper or just for show after all.

Blondie wanted to ask Apple why she was doing all this when Raven could clearly deal with most of it herself, as Apple's BFFA not a reporter, but the princess was really touchy about this whole situation in a way that bordered on actual physical pain and just made Apple all snappy at others and cling all the more to Raven (who looked too exhausted to notice much of anything at the moment) the next chance she got to be around the witch.

Briar was usually her backup go-to when the situation pertained to Apple and her sometimes-odd motives in certain situations… Blondie did not approach the other princess in this case due to the fact that Briar, as Apple's second line of defense, was… well let's just say terrifying.

Especially to this little minority group of Royals who were itching to accuse Raven of _something_ sinister. Blondie had no idea that Briar even knew how to use magic let alone sleeping spells. Neither had Faybelle apparently, who always seemed to look up and ready to protest but kept silent out of something that was definitely fear and probably a tiny bit of respect.

And speaking of Apple and Raven, their whole dynamic had changed completely! The intense staring into each others eyes, Apple's protective nature towards Raven, Raven's subdued and resigned attitude towards Apple, that blinding smile the other day… Blondie could not pinpoint just what it was going on between those two but whatever it was, it was something very important.

She wasn't the only one who had noticed much of the student body was holding their collective breath, waiting for whatever was giving everyone this feeling of _something_ looming over the horizon to come crashing down when it was least expected.

Blondie just hoped that she could figure this all out before she got blind sighted and crushed at the same time.

And as a side note to follow up on when she had time; just where did those Bleeding Rebel Hearts come from and why did they just suddenly decided to spring up overnight?

As the questions continued to pile up in her notebook there was no doubt that there was definitely something that had happened in that room, and whatever it was it involved Raven.

"Blondie I'm back." Cupid called as she walked into their dorm.

The daughter of Eros peered over her roommate's shoulder to the previously stated notebook. "Still no luck?" She asked sympathetically.

Blondie made a sound between a wine and a groan in conformation. "None of this makes sense!" she cried, handing over her notebook to the other girl. "Could you please look all that over? I need some fresh eyes."

Cupid took the offered notes and silently scanned through them while Blondie rested her head against the cool surface of her desk in an effort to keep her brain from overheating after she had spent so much time thinking about all of this.

"Dexter did tell me about his brother's magazines." Cupid mused after a while. "He sounded a little worried when he asked me if I knew any logical reasons for it, I'm afraid that I wasn't able to be much help. His sister on the other hand is thoroughly amused."

"I'll bet." Blondie mutters.

"I'm also surprised that more people haven't caught onto Kitty and Maddie, I mean it's not like that they are keeping it a big secret." Cupid continues.

Blondie shudders. "Well statistically most fairytale couples end up being one boy and one girl the majority of the time as depicted in the Book of Legends and it has just been in the past hundred or so years that most human kingdoms have stopped having such a problem with it… not that I think that there is anything wrong with what they've got, in fact, I'm really happy for them, it's just…"

"Some things are just best left unknown and behind closed doors?" Cupid concludes.

"Should High School students be moving that fast in a relationship?" Blondie hoarsely asks the world in general. "I mean Ashlynn and Hunter are really close but they've decided not to become _that_ close until after we all graduate."

Cupid shrugs to herself, mostly because Blondie can't see it from where her head is positioned on her desk. "Actually in Wonderland the age of adulthood is sixteen, an old tradition derived from the days when Wonderland was a fractured world full of warring tribes, so technically, by Wonderlandian laws they are two consenting adult females who are wooing each other to join their tribes through a loving warrior bond."

Blondie peeks over at her roommate. "Warrior bond? Joining their tribes? My understanding of Wonderland traditions and history is nil to none so could you please…?"

Cupid giggles finding the other girl's baffled tone a little funny. "Wonderland wasn't always all riddles and tea, it still isn't today but it is a lot safer then back at the start of Wonderland written history."

Blondie nodded knowing this much at least from the little hints their classmates had given; such as those "hunting lessons" the local Wonderlandians were giving Raven.

"In the beginning Wonderland was a war-torn land inhabited by seven main tribes who were almost constantly at war with each-other. Between the wars, deadly animals, and the random nature of Wonderland itself, the tribes probably would have wiped each other out; that is if it weren't for an invading army of barbarians from this world coming into Wonderland. The presence of a common enemy had actually united the tribes in the way only a culture of warriors could."

Cupid smiled, this was one of her favorite history topics. "You know the Queen of Hearts phrase; "off with your head?" Well that's actually derived from the very first Queen of Hearts who was the leader of the seven warrior queens who had united Wonderland into the seven-kingdom government, or the more commonly known as the Royal Flush Kingdom, it's a bit different governmental set up today but the base seven kingdoms are still there. The king of the barbarian invaders was actually beheaded by the Queen of Hearts herself and thus is why the Wonderland Royal family of Hearts line has kept the phrase alive to this day."

Cupid pauses in her monologue to survey her audience, since Blondie was looking at her with a horrified sort of awe she felt comforted that the history lesson did not put the other to sleep.

"That is the main reason why Wonderlandians are considered adults at such a young age, traditionally most of them had to take care of their clan because the older adults were often killed or left so insane that they were incapacitated. Although in this day in age there is no wars in Wonderland there is still a sense of a warrior culture beneath the madness and a lot of dangers still exist such as the bandersnitch which Wonderland children are often taught to hunt beginning at the age of three."

Blondie made a strangled sound but kept quiet, Cupid continued on completely unaware of the other's distress.

"Love is actually very respected despite all the violence, lovers often fought side by side and if two warring sub-clans just happen to have two or more individuals who have fallen in a strong enough love to defy their respective clan's blood-feud then the two clans would form a begrudging truce not to harm the other's family members, they could slaughter the rest of the tribe all they wanted but that particular clan would be left untouched."

Blondie's mouth had dropped open at some point her stunned horror increased. This was not covered in history class!

"So basically by the ancient Wonderland law Maddie and Kitty are already married, they just haven't had a wedding yet." Cupid finished suddenly looking thoughtful. "You know according to old Wonderland tradition I think that Raven would be considered both of their… oh hex I've forgotten the precise word, but it's an old wonderland term to describe someone who is both a sister and a daughter… no wait… the more accurate term would be to describe a beloved kin, prodigy, and… maybe a harem wife? Yes that would be the most accurate." Cupid nodded to herself.

"Wha-?" Blondie croaked most of her cognitive function having leapt up and away a while ago and now the only thing that still seemed to work was, unfortunately for her, her hearing and her sponge-like memory.

"Wonderland family ties are complicated." Cupid elaborated. "But as to the being-really-"_close"_-at-such-a-young-age thing, or being that close at all, it's actually not that uncommon anywhere you go, even though the overall legal age of consent is eighteen, with the exceptions made to residents of other worlds, it may not always be as accepted socially in a lot of the modern human realms, and for good reason I might add because, no offense or anything but a lot of you guys are seriously not mentally developed enough, or informed enough to deal with such an intimate act with another…" Cupid rambled on about how the human brain was underdeveloped until the individual reached their twenties, not noticing that Blondie was starting to look for an escape route. Fairytale! When Cupid got passionate about something, mainly love she could talk for hours!

"-And that is not even counting ritualized deflowering, which is not even covered in your laws, but is actually very common in a lot of cultures such as witches, fairies…" Cupid hesitates. "Gods…"

Blondie's brain reels back into the conversation so fast that she actually falls out of her seat.

"Are you ok?" Cupid asks helping the twitching blonde up.

"Ritualized…! Are you saying that you've already…? With a guy? ...Girl?" The reporter sputters all wide-eyed and shell-shocked.

"Well it was a stone dildo and not an actual person, but amongst the Gods masturbation, ritualized or no, is considered a form of intimacy- hey are you alright? You've gotten awfully pale."

Blondie grasps her friend's hand in a death grip. "W-why would they make you go through that? How old were you even when-." The blonde stops, her brain unable to compute.

The other holds the freaked out reporter by the arms and rubs soothing circles into the clothed flesh with her thumbs, realizing that perhaps the social norm difference was a bit much for someone who grew up in such a repressed and sanitized culture. "I had just turned sixteen, so right before I had came to this school. In order for the ritual to work I needed to give my full consent, but trust me when I say that it was absolutely necessary, it's important for a God with the affinity over love to go through this ritual. Actually it was dangerous for me to have waited so long in the first place, but I risked waiting until I was fully ready."

Blondie blinked still stiff as a board. "Dangerous? Why would it be dangerous for you not to go through with… that?"

Cupid sighed as she led the other back into her chair, of coarse such a sanitized environment would borne girls who would be terrified and ashamed of self-love. Such things should be explained with open minds and understanding, not this whole; "wait until your married, do not touch yourself, do not taint yourself by trying to understand the process better", guilt trip that often left the girl torn and in pain due to lack of understanding on both sides. Why this culture felt that it was perfectly normal for there to be pain and only one-sided pleasure she'd never understand.

"Well for one thing, and this is very important okay? Self-love for girls is biologically normal and natural; there is no shame in having those urges or for taking care to love and understand yourself you understand? Being in pain for your first time with another does not have to happen and from what I've been told, understanding yourself and the act will make the first experience more pleasurable for both parties."

Blondie just blushes so red that she is glowing. Cupid sighs in temporary defeat.

"As the daughter of Eros and as _Cupid_ the _future Goddess of love_, I cannot give that part of _me_ away to anyone but myself, in order for me to be open to all types of love I must have a healthy love for myself. To do otherwise not only would be detrimental to my state of mind and control over my power but it would also give the other party a dangerous unhealthy power over love."

Blondie willed her blush to subside, her reporter instincts kicking in. "What sort of power would the… other person have over love?" She asked weakly.

"False True Love, but without the bond to keep it healthy. That kind of powerful magic would end up leaving that individual completely, devastatingly insane, perhaps even killing them, leaving nothing left of themselves but a trail of poisoned plants in their wake, like flowers for example…" Cupid stops realization dawning from the depths of the back of her mind. "Flowers… Blondie did you find out anything, anything at all about the Bleeding Rebel Hearts?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" The other exclaimed, her brain was still trying to process both the surprising blood-filled history of Wonderland and the news of _that ritual_ her friend had to go through, anything more and her brain would jump out, abandon ship, and runaway!

"The Adonis flower sprung up from the spilled blood from a mortal named Adonis, Aphrodite's True Love. Apollo's one-sided love, I would not call being a stalker and a creep True Love, to a woman named Daphne had driven her to turn into a Laurel tree just to get away from him, thus is why he made the Laurel tree his official tree." Cupid explained with increasing urgency.

Blondie pursed her lips to a thin line and gave the other a _look_. "Nothing much… aside from the fact that I overheard a few times from several of the professors studying the plant saying that it was a new species that came into being as a direct result of that weird light a month ago."

Cupid nodded her head in acknowledgment to the other's discomfort, but her heart sped up as her instinct just _knew_ what part of Blondie's puzzle was all about. "The freakishly strong burst of magic, Raven's magic change, the new type of plant springing up everywhere… Blondie… I think that Raven found a True Love."

The full weight of the winged girl's words passed over the blonde's head as her face crumpled into that of someone who was seriously wondering if her friend had finally lost all sense of reality. "But Cupid, Raven is a witch, there is no evidence whatsoever of a witch ever falling into True Love." Blondie says slowly, as if talking to the mentally insane.

"Well there's a first time for everything, and besides, since when has Raven, intentionally or unintentionally ever conceded to letting anything stop her just because someone said that it was impossible?" Cupid asks. "Plus, and I should know, love does not understand the meaning of impossible… also my father once told me that there is no extensive documentation on True Love and seeing that it is so rare we can't say for certain that a witch has never found it." Cupid argues making Blondie sigh and mentally concede that the other had a point.

"Alright lets just say that Raven has found True Love, now the question is, who's the guy she's fallen for?" Blondie asks. "It can't be Daring because he's Apple's prince."

Cupid taps her chin thinking. "Well maybe it isn't a guy at all, maybe that's why Daring and Lizzie are looking over all of those lesbian wedding magazines. I mean if we are assuming Raven's True Love was in that room."

Blondie lets herself nod. "Well I guess that would make sense, a true case of True Love must always be celebrated and nurtured… but that does not hexplain all my other questions on my list! Why all of the secrecy, and why is Apple so worried? She should be on the front lines celebrating her friend's good fortune and shouting the news out through the halls, not going around all secretive acting like Raven's on a march to her death." The blonde points out.

The winged girl thinks a moment. "Maybe Raven's True Love is someone Apple disapproves of? Maybe there's some sort of… maybe it's inappropriate somehow? Or at least by Apple's standards." Cupid wonders out loud.

Blondie wonders for a moment before a thought makes her almost slip back down to the floor. "Are you saying that Raven's True Love is Professor Baba Yaga?" she almost gags out.

Cupid freezes, now she is the one to look at the other with horror. "No! Hex no! I mean, wouldn't Baba Yaga be subjected to all of those tests too? She is a witch too you know."

"Yeah, yeah! You're right. Of coarse you're right! Wh-what a silly thought!" Blondie laughs out half hysterical.

The two look at each other and silently agree to pretend that idea had never been voiced.

"Maybe it's Briar." Cupid guesses. "It would make more sense than if it were Lizzie, Cerise, or Cedar, and it would explain why Apple would be in such distress, what with her friend's very real possible future to fall asleep for a hundred years if she pricks her finger on a spinning wheel."

"But wouldn't True Love's kiss solve that right away?" the reporter points out.

"You're right, hmm…. Well I guess that we'll just have to use my powers to find out. Do you still have that shovel lying around?" The winged girl states nonchalantly, the out of the blue statement causing the other to do a double take.

"Wait what?" The blonde asks bewildered.

"Oh and we'll be needing a mirror, you don't mind us using one of yours do you? I mean you do have a lot of them." Cupid continued unhearing.

"Cupid wait a minute." Blondie follows her roommate around the room as the other is briskly walking to and fro picking up the things she lists out.

"Do you think that we'll look too suspicious walking around this late hour with a shovel? Maybe we should use the emergency ladder to scale out the balcony." As she says it the winged girl is already hooking said ladder to the balcony wall and throwing it over.

"Cupid!" Blondie grabs the other by the shoulders and shakes her slightly. "What. Are. You. Doing?"

"Oh!" Cupid says innocently, just realizing that the other girl was in the dark to her plan. "As the daughter of Eros one of my abilities is the power to detect True Love and to scry out who the two individuals are."

"Scry?" Blondie asks hoarsely.

"Using a medium to conjure up images." Cupid explains.

"Right…" Blondie steps back to take calming breaths and to rub her aching temples. "And the reason why you didn't suggest this in the first place is because…?"

"Guessing games are all part of the fun!" The winged girl states brightly.

"Right…" Blondie says slowly grasping onto all of her available patience with an iron grip. "And how does this "scrying" relate to _you_ frolicking about in the middle of the night with a shovel and a mirror?" Blondie did not even want to guess what others would be thinking if they so happened to look out their window or balcony to see the winged girl, whose bright pink outfit practically _glowed in the dark_, up and about with before mentioned objects in hand.

Blondie's inherited breaking-and-entering instincts felt like weeping openly at the thought.

"Well for the spell to work I need a Bleeding Rebel Heart, something created directly from Raven's True Love." The other informed as if what she was about to do was completely rational.

"Or…" Blondie began an obvious idea hitting her almost immediately. "You could use some of Raven's homemade Bleeding Rebel Heart perfume that I still have some leftover from that review I did last week…"

Cupid shrugged unaffected. "Well yeah, I suppose we could do that, but wouldn't this be way more fun?"

"Please back away from the balcony. I-… I'll listen to that whole… ahem, "_loving oneself"_ thing without running away if you just- just come back inside." Blondie cringed at her begging words, but one hextra embarrassing lesson from Cupid was worth not having to see her dear friend utterly fail at being sneaky and most likely getting into trouble.

And if it got this whole insane "True Love" thing done and over with all the faster then that would be just right with her.

Cupid's eyes lit up and softened at the same time. "I promise to try and make that as least painful as possible." She promised as she walked back inside.

Recollecting the emergency ladder Blondie really doubted that it would be any less painful than that time when she had learned about the birds and the bees, which had left her with a vague sense that she'll be marrying something akin to a crazed rabbit and that she'd just have to endure some uncomfortable nights for the sake of her marriage, but she kept silent and just focused on the small victory of salvaging her friend's dignity.

Forty minutes later of chalking out one small, complicatedly designed pentagram, spraying the mirror surface with the perfume and then wiping it into the surface while cupid chanted/sung in a language dialect that Blondie's human mind could not effectively grasp any individual words, constructing a protective pillow barricade, and trying out the remaining perfume on themselves; they were ready.

"When Raven and Cedar host another review of their products can I come along?" Cupid asks from behind their barricade, sniffing her wrist appreciatively.

"Sure thing, Cedar said that they need all the feedback that they can get since she and Raven are aspiring to sell their end product to the pros. Then you can help me spread the gossip about how much the new products are just off the page!" Blondie smirks to herself.

"It sounds like someone is planning on using her reporter status to have over half the female population of Ever After High begging for a sample of the latest beauty craze." Cupid looks to the other in amusement.

Blondie just grins. Oh yes seeing the masses scrambling over one another to get their hands on something that she reviewed was hexcellently rewarding.

"Sometimes I think that you like the rush that comes with your reporter status a little too much." Cupid laughed good-humoredly.

Blondie shrugs at the other's words but does not deny it.

The two sober up and turn as one, peeking over their mound of pillows towards the mirror and the pentagram in all seriousness.

"Ready?" Cupid asks.

"Ready." Blondie nods sounding a little nervous.

Cupid materializes her bow and arrow, aiming her weapon of love at the mirror.

"_EROS ILLUMINATE!"_ The winged future goddess speaks the spell as she releases her arrow.

A strongly bright beam of light shoots out of their dorm windows and balcony, although it is not nearly as strong as the beam from a month ago it is still bright enough to briefly light up the north side of the school grounds and to frame the girl's dorm in a halo of light.

Apple lifts off of her bed with a startled shriek her body thrumming with the energy of Raven's magic surrounding her with an unearthly white aura.

The princess's dumb shock of seeing her bare legs glowing is replaced with alarm when she hears a familiar mewl of sleepy annoyance from the other bed.

Raven turns over in her sleep away from the window and snuggles back down for some deeper slumber. Her body is also glowing.

The witch suddenly finds herself wrenched out of her comfortable slumber by a freaked princess who is shaking her violently.

"Raven wake up!" Apple shrieks. "Oh Ancestors, it's happening again!"

"A-pp-le w-wha-at i-is wr-on-g?" An alarmed Raven tries to talk as she is still being shaken.

Apple stops her shaking and takes Raven's head into her hands. "Look!" she exclaims.

It takes an agonizingly slow moment for the witch's foggy mind to compute what is right before her.

"You're… glowing…?" The witch mumbles in disbelief.

Apple nods vigorously.

"And… I'm not dreaming?" The witch asks hesitantly.

Apple nods again.

"Huh." Raven says. There wasn't much else to say.

"That's not all," the princess speaks sounding hysteric, "there was another bright light, like the one from last time!" The princess hugs the witch's head to her chest. "What if it's happening all over again?" The princess wails.

The witch, who is wide awake now, takes one split second to fully register that from this angle of having her head mushed into the other's chest she was being, _completely unintentionally_, treated to what lay beneath the princess's silky nightgown.

The aura increased as the witch blushed the hardest she'd ever done in her entire life.

Apple grew even more alarmed as the white aura increased in size to the point where it surrounded them both, in one swift move more befitting of a Prince Charming, the princess swept the witch up bridal style into her arms and raced barefoot out the door.

The girl's dorm residence that had been woken up by the light blearily stepped out their doors to see if someone knew what was going on, only to be treated to the sight of a nightgown-clad Apple White racing through the halls with a wide-eyed Raven Queen held in the princess's arms screeching; "Apple what are you _doing_?" as she was raced towards the healer's offices.

In the dorm room that had been the source of the light a blond reporter tried to discreetly blow out the feathers shoved into her mouth from one of Cupid's wings, which had instinctually folded around the blonde to protect her from the full force of the light.

"Hffft!" She complained trying to gently push the wing away, pawing at her face when the downy wing lifts away, to aid in dislodging the few stray feathers clinging to her.

Cupid stares at the mirror, pupils dilated, her entire being thrumming with the residue magic of the aftermath, her eyes beginning to glow until they are two white lights shining from her skull.

"Ptoohy! What's up?" Blondie asks her roommate, doing a double take when she actually takes a good look at the other, she had never seen her roommate in such a state.

Cupid just points to the object graced with her full attention, the blonde turns to look at the mirror being pointed at.

Blondie blanches at what she sees, falling back into a waiting downy wing nearly inhaling another batch of feathers. The wing holds strong curling around the blonde's shoulder and keeping her limp form seated upright.

Both wide-eyed girls, one with hers still glowing, look at each other then back at the mirror which is showing the image of an embracing Apple White and Raven Queen with a baby bundle between them. The image is much like the one found on the Canvas of Eros in the Headmaster's study.

Blondie was the first to speak. "So Raven's-?"

"Yes." Cupid's voice sounded like it was placed in an echo filled box.

"-And Raven is Apple's-?" The blond squeaked.

"Yes." The winged girl confirmed.

Blondie paused, hesitant. "So Daring isn't…?"

Cupid swallowed looking serious. "No. He is not."

"But I thought that they had tests for the best true love candidates. Wouldn't they have known? Surely someone knew?" The Blond looks to the other helplessly.

Cupid is silent, eyes narrowed to glowing slits.

"Cupid?" Blondie touches the girl's arm.

Cupid heaves a deep sigh; her grim eyes dimming back to normal. "Well at least we now know why everyone has been so protective of Raven lately." Her voice has abandoned its other-worldly tone.

Blondie shivers hiding herself into her friend's feathers.

Because someone had to have known, known and hidden the truth at the expense… or perhaps _hoping_ even that Raven would sign the Book of Legends, poison Apple, and suffer the deadly consequences.

And it was very likely that someone was still out there, somewhere.


	5. The one with all of the listening in

Author's note (skip if you want, I don't really mind.)

The number of pages on this one kind of took me by surprise (fifty three, holy cow); I guess that is a good sign that I'm getting used to typing large amounts in a relatively short period of time.

For this one I wanted to firmly establish all of Raven's reasons for keeping things a secret from Apple while simultaneously getting the ball rolling for Apple's side of things.

I am keeping my theories of how this pairing could work by taking little bits from the webisodes and molding the information to not only fit into my storyline but to make it all more believable. (In my opinion this could have been a cannon pairing if either Apple or Raven was male, and perhaps there might have been more fan fictions about them if they were both male and the yaoi fangirls came charging in to this fandom. Bless those yaoi fangirls they are so much fun to talk to).

Here are the things that I've noticed about those images depicting Apple and Raven's "destinies" as foretold by the Book of Legends. Am I the only one that is seeing this?

They don't specify why the Book of Legends is necessary and just how, if the world is supposed to end if the stories aren't told, did people get on before the fairytales were written? I looked up the Grimm brothers in real life and according to the Internet it was well over three hundred years ago when the brothers had set out to publish their book about all of the fairytales that they could find. So if they are going by the same reasoning (and judging by the style of period clothing shown in that hall of ancestors at the thronecomming movie) hat makes the Book of Legends only three hundred years old?

I may be looking too deeply into that but I am definitely going to point that out somewhere in this fic.

I noticed in the scene where Apple is being shown her destiny that the fateful true love's kiss scene is not depicted, in fact there is only one image where Daring is shown at all, and in that only one measly image he is not even by Apple's side, he's sort of behind her and off to the far side of her. I actually had to re-watch that clip because I had missed him the first time! He's kind of easy to overlook which is strange considering he's supposed to be a big part of Apple's life.

I also noticed that Raven appears to make certain that an unconscious Apple is tucked comfortably in bed instead of leaving her wherever she just happened to poison her.

(if you early birds to reading this story have noticed i have shortened this author's note because these questions have been answered to my satisfaction completely! Thank you for reviewing! it helps me lots!).

Enough with this rant, on with the story!

XXX

The one with all the listening in…

XXX

"Nothing life threatening or crippling, so Miss White you can go get your half-naked self to wrap up into something less revealing and either take a chair to sit _quietly,_ or to scurry yourself and your other half back on over to your room while I inform the necessary people that there is some confounded _thing_ stalking around at this _unholy_ hour that has caused your little's witch's magic to go all clustersnitch." Healer Phalange ordered in her usual gruff tone as she threw a spare white coat at a shivering Apple White.

The coat landed on the princess's head to which the girl chattered out a slightly muffled "Thank you."

The healer grunted, turning on her heal and barking out orders as she stalked out of the tiny examining room. "Number Twelve! Get me the head-idiot on the mirror; I don't care if you have to send the dogs of the underworld after him to get him up! Number Three, see if the odd-ball brother is up and about, if not send one of the fairies to find him! And could somebody please get me a cup of coffee, preferably _before_ I have to deal with those two infants?"

The two girls left inhabiting the room spend a quiet moment frozenly looking, or in Apple's case facing, the door where the irate healer had stormed out of.

Raven sat patiently on the examining bed clad in her sleeping kimono, which was almost a work of art by itself, made from soft linin that was black at the top and faded into a purple to white gradient background with the shapes of light purple and gold butterflies flying upwards from the bottom hem that was also accompanied by the tops of golden plum branches in full bloom peeking up from an unseen tree below. It had been a gift from her father, something that he had acquired from one of the countries he had visited to informally debrief the Queen Estate's various foreign branch heads of the tentative potential of the Bleeding Rebel Heart.

Apparently Lady Mage Sasha, one of her grandmother's friends-with-casual-"benefits" (what those "benefits" were Raven was hoping, for her own sanity, was strictly magic related) and one of the few people who knew about Raven, tagged along as her grandmother's not-so-secret-spy and insisted that Raven's father get his daughter something that was "more appropriate" for a growing young witch and then proceeded to acquire several of the country's traditional outfits.

Apple had just about squealed herself into a fluffy cloud of clothing appreciation when a trunk-full of the decorative foreign outfits arrived two days ago as her father's (but mostly with the help of Mage Sasha) care package.

It was a gift Raven was grateful for especially the lounging clothes; it was sometimes just easier to throw on a kimono or yukata when she got back to the dorm instead of staying in her high collar and corset.

It was almost like a divine message for the clothes to have arrived when they did, Raven had made a secret goal with herself to see if she could wean her body off of the corset and collar altogether, she hated what the articles of clothing represented, plus it was a hindrance for about half of her old daily schedule and now it was completely unnecessary as she found herself taking the offending clothing articles off for things such as hero training. Yet she had worn such similar types of clothes for so long her body just didn't feel comfortable without it, she had not broached the subject with Apple yet, feeling that it was far too soon for any noticeable changes from looking the part of Evil to… whatever she was now.

That didn't stop the witch from wondering if maybe she could per sway the princess into letting Raven wear one of the outdoor kimonos on the weekend without the already shaken princess going into an emotional fit over it.

"So, should we head back?" Raven proposed clicking her dangling heels together.

Apple shook her head dislodging the lab coat and moving to put the article on. "It'll be safer here, I can't really imagine anything malicious getting passed Healer Phalange unscathed, I'll go get our mirrorphones and overnight bags."

"Alone? Apple that's not safe, I should go with you." Raven moved off the bed and silently padded over to an amused princess who was buttoning up the front of her borrowed garment.

"Oh Raven, it's not like it's the first time we've snuck out of our rooms, and besides whatever is doing all this is targeting you, so it only makes sense for you to stay where it is safest."

"But normally you don't go around in your pajamas." Raven argued inadvertently remembering with a flush just how little fabric the pajamas provided to cover the princess.

Apple just clicked her tongue. "Ye of little faith, you seem to have forgotten;" the princess started with her signature "queen smile", "just what I am capable of."

The two stared at one another, a silent battle of wills.

"My magic is connected to you, whatever set it off might come after you to get to me." Raven stated in a grim whisper, taking the princess's hand in hers and holding it close.

Apple moved closer, leaning into the other's body heat. "You worry too much." She murmured cupping her free hand to Raven's cheek.

The witch sighed relaxing her forehead against the other's inhaling the princess's scent of warm apples and cinnamon. "I will always worry about you in these situations."

"Then I will have to give you a reason not to worry." The princess traced the side of the witch's face with her fingers. "How's about the first friend I run into I can see if they can accompany me on this dangerous quest."

The witch let out an airy laugh, wrapping her free arm around the princess's waist. "At least switch out that lab coat with my sleeping robe, because what you currently have on is practically see-through with the lights on it and it really doesn't leave much to the imagination." The witch informed looking into Apple's blue eyes.

Apple chuckled lowly gazing right back into the witch's eyes. "Does it? Well shoot, we can't have that can we. Even though I'm sure I've already shown off more of myself than anyone has ever seen of me running all the way here."

Raven tilted her head, almost but not quite nuzzling the smirking princess. "More than anyone has ever seen of _us_ you mean, you were carrying _me_ in your arms like a knight on a mission."

"Heh, Knight Apple White does have a ring to it." Apple snakes her arm around Raven's neck.

Raven makes an agreeing hum squeezing Apple's waist slightly.

"It's a really good thing that we're almost the same size, it's fun being able to swap clothes with a friend." Apple smiles and Raven gently returns it.

A loud whack of someone's head smacking into a wood door causes the two to look up to find Cerise, Briar, and Healer Phalange standing in the doorway. Briar's forehead is flush against the open door; her hands are making slow clawing motions onto the wooden surface from either side of her head.

"Briar, are you all right?" Apple asks her friend in alarm, still clinging onto a bewildered Raven.

"She's having a rough night." Cerise states looking at the princess and witch flatly.

"You've got visitors." Healer Phalange states her words sounding just as flat as her stare.

"Hi guys." Raven blinks innocently as if it was nothing for herself and the princess to be so close. "Whatcha doing here?"

"Oh well when we saw your glowing princess knight in shining magic and silk valiantly carrying an equally glowing maiden witch through the girls dorms and across campus barefoot, we just couldn't help but stop over to see where the invisible dragon that was on your heels slithered off to." Cerise shrugged sarcastically.

"Or more importantly to see if you knew what caused that light show that woke up everyone in the girl's dorm." The sleepy and irate Briar glowered a tiredly jaundiced eye at the still embracing duo.

"Whatever it had been it was bright enough to wake the dead, or more importantly it was enough to awaken me. Did you know that never once in my life have I ever had a stretch of time where I was getting a lack of sleep? I was just about to nod off when _that thing_ hit!" Briar groans with the unaccustomed feeling of actually being tired from lack of sleep instead of her normal bouts from her inherited genes.

"Are you saying that you Briar, daughter of sleeping beauty, haven't been getting enough sleep?" Raven voices incredulously before a concerned Apple even has a chance to voice the same sentiment.

"These past three days she's been dealing with insomnia due to some… what type of dreams did you say they were?" Cerise asks her companion.

"The non-restful kind, there's so much going on in them that I can't get my brain to relax, so I end up more hexhausted when I wakeup then when I did falling asleep." Briar hits her head, albeit more softly this time, against the door in frustration.

"I didn't know about this." Apple states, sounding a little hurt.

"That's because I didn't want to make a big deal out of it." The not-so-sleepy princess almost snaps. "It's embarrassing ok? Mom said that no one in my family has ever had a problem with sleeping, apparently it's "abnormal" or something like that, and that it's something that _I'm_ doing wrong." Briar almost spits now glaring poisonously at the ground. "As if I can control it."

"She called her mother for advice." Cerise winced having been present for that little conversation, the current Sleeping Beauty was… less than helpful to say the least. "We didn't get anywhere."

Apple grimaced; she knew intellectually that it was hard for a mother to raise a child knowing that one day they will fall asleep for a hundred years, but sometimes seeing that carefully managed distance between Briar and her mother was just too painful. The princess made a note to call her own mother sometime soon, she was grateful that her and her mom did not share a similar passive aggressive relationship.

She wondered if her mom and Raven would get along, despite the whole "leader of the Rebels" thing she hoped that there would be something that they had in common to talk about.

Apple was actually contemplating maybe spiriting Raven away to the Snow White Summer Castle for spring break. She knew that Raven usually spent her past spring breaks at Maddie's but maybe if she asked Raven to go with her the witch would say yes.

Apple didn't quite understand why she felt so nervous asking the witch to go back home with her during the break, after all it was a tentative proposal that should not matter as much with either yes or no answer, but the idea of Raven spending time with her in her childhood home made the princess feel very warm and gooey on the inside.

So swiftly did it happen that no one could have reacted even if they had seen it coming, Briar was injected with something into her arm and a cup of water along with a smaller plastic cup occupied with a green pill inside was shoved into Cerise's hands.

"OW! What the-?" Briar rubbed her offended arm.

"Make sure she takes this after your visit, the drug will promote relaxation and will keep her from having dreams for the night." Healer Phalange ordered the hooded girl in a no-nonsense tone.

"_What in the kingdom was that?"_ Briar demanded outraged.

"Vitamin mix the numbers like to call a "banana smoothie" just because they think it's cuter than "vitamin mix 23", it'll help your body repair itself, something that you do when you are sleeping, and as an added bonus; absorb more nutrients from your food." The older woman didn't stick around for a rebuttal, having more important things to do than small talk.

"If it makes you feel better Briar I've been unexpectedly hit with vitamin supplements too." Raven consoled awkwardly to the brunette princess, who was currently incapable of forming full sentences and was cursing heartily.

"We'll just be outside while you guys exchange clothes, someone needs to take their medicine." Cerise, who was on the edge of laughter, closed the door.

"Did you see what she did? I have never-! Have you ever-?" Came a muffled war cry.

"Yes I did see what she did and no I have never, now take your medicine."

Raven and Apple looked at each other and at Cerise's muffled but calm reply they burst into giggles.

"I hope Briar won't be too mad, even though I can totally sympathize." Raven disentangles herself from Apple and makes to untie the obi belt.

"Her ire seems to be more to the fact that she is sleep deprived." Apple mused. She would have probably continued with a statement that conveyed her hope that her BFFA would find peaceful rest soon but when the decorative fabric of Raven's Kimono slipped past the witch's shoulders all words stuck and died in Apple's throat.

"Sorry." Raven tries to cover herself back up when she realizes why the princess is suddenly silent. "I know how much that bothers you, I guess I've gotten so used to the idea of you knowing that I just… sorry."

Apple's hands gently grab onto the fabric of the shoulders and start to tug the cloth back down. "You should never be sorry for this." The princess commands hoarsely. "Yes I am bothered by it but not for the reasons you think, it is agonizing to think that you had once been in so much pain, and it breaks my heart to little itty bitty pieces that you would think that you have to be ashamed or under any impression that you are any less beautiful because of this."

Raven crosses her arms and stares with brittle eyes at the ground but allows for the other's gentle fingers to slide the fabric past her shoulders and upper back.

Apple hugs Raven from behind snuggling the side of her face into the witch's. "You never have to be ashamed about this in front of me Raven, with or without the scars you will always be beautiful."

Raven couldn't breathe caught pressed between her inappropriate feelings for the other girl and the turbulent swirl of emotions of having someone- _anyone_ offer to see beyond the scars and… and call her beautiful on top of that.

It hurt not telling Apple the truth about their True Love, it hurt Raven even more knowing that not telling Apple was a huge gamble to take what with the constant threat of her mother looming in the background, who was most probably being held in that mirror somewhere _on campus_.

But if Raven were to tell Apple the truth… to see the princess nobly resign herself to being the witch's wife and to simply throw away her dreams of fairytales and marrying a Prince Charming all for the sake of the magic they just so happen to share; to never again know whether the princess was being sincere whenever she hugged Raven close or whether she was just acting out the part of the perfect wife, the perfect little doll that held the witch's heart but had no desire of her own free will to return the feelings of love, only compromises and constant sense of duties to be fulfilled.

Swallowing thickly the witch dropped her arms, looking helplessly to the ceiling with welling eyes as the princess's gentle fingers slipped the article of clothing away.

The witch felt like she was drowning in her selfish sins; to want Apple White always to be near her like this, to be her dearest friend despite the warring sinful desires that the witch knew that she could not blame the True Love bond all by itself for the mere presence of them.

Apple's fingers slowly took the witch's mass of dark hair to the side brushing the skin on Raven's scarred, bare back and making the witch shiver.

Raven wanted the genuine kindness that the princess offered up like Raven was worth the trouble of showering gifts and compliments onto. Like Raven was worth something at all, and that something was good and pure and not tainted by her heritage.

Apple loosely wrapped an arm around Raven's waist and used a perfectly manicured hand to turn the witch around; with the exception of her black panties Raven was quite very nude and vulnerable.

Raven focused on Apple's clothed shoulder, her breath hitching when the princess's hand tried to soothe the witch by moving reassuringly up and down Raven's flank.

Raven ached for the empty hope of having Apple return her feelings in a way that was pure and without the bounds of duty so that Raven could sink to her knees in relief and profess all the words of love and praise that the witch had been holding back for so agonizingly long.

Apple cupped Raven's face with both hands and smiled imploringly.

"You are beautiful Raven, beautiful and perfect." Apple assures with a strength behind her words that makes Raven more than a little weak.

The princess then hugs the witch and to Raven's heated shock the front to Apple's borrowed coat has been unbuttoned and is wide open. Betraying and treasonous the witch's arms curl around the princess's trim waist and hug the other girl back. She should stop this but Raven is too busy trying not to overheat or collapse to do the right thing and step away.

After a moment that felt both too short and an eternity Apple moves back with a lingering touch and slips off the lab coat.

Raven squeaks glowing red and turns away, mustering enough guilt and sense to focus on smothering the smoldering burn that has spread from the base of her abdomen to her inner thighs.

The princess chuckles. "Oh silly Raven we're both girls here, there is nothing to be embarrassed about." Apple says in a tone that Raven is certain will haunt her dreams and hormones for weeks to come.

Apple giggles when Raven's magic flares embarrassingly, moving the lab coat around the witch's shoulders and helping the other girl into it. "I sometimes can't believe how innocent you can be." The princess croons fondly swiftly buttoning down the front of the lab coat and Raven finds herself unable to remember when the princess had managed to guide her arms through the sleeves.

_If you had any idea as to what is really going through my mind…_ Raven thinks almost wincing at the thought of the slap that would've surely followed.

Sobering considerably Raven deftly returns the favor by aiding Apple into her kimono.

"Wow!" Apple praised holding up the sleeves for inspection. "This is hextacular! Hey you won't mind if I borrow one of these every once in a while do you?"

Raven smiled admiring how beautifully Apple was able to pull off the contrast between the dark fabric and the light of her hair and skin. "I don't mind at all, in fact I have something with a pink cherry blossom print that would just look off the page on you. Pink colors I don't really pull off as well as purples so I'd be more than happy to share with you the ones that would look more flattering on you than on me."

Apple scoffed. "Any color would look good on you if you just gave it a chance." The princess hugged the witch around her middle.

Raven looks highly unsure and skeptical. "Do… you really think so?" The witch mutters in a tiny voice.

"I know so." The princess nods her head firmly as if it were a well-known fact.

Raven smiles delicately, fragilely. "Be safe ok?" She whispers.

Apple caresses Raven's cheek. "You know I will."

When they move to open the door Briar almost falls over due to the surface she had pressed her ear so closely to being yanked away, she would've fallen flat onto her face if it weren't for Cerise's steadying hand.

"That door was very comfortable. Wasn't that door comfortable Cerise?" Briar has an I-got-caught-doing-something-bad expression and grins fake-innocently at Raven's dry look.

"It sure seemed to be." Cerise nods her head looking at the blinking witch and princess seriously.

"Oh did you take your medicine Briar?" Apple asks, innocently drawing conclusions out of seemingly nowhere.

Briar holds up the two cups with the water (which was half spilled over her arm) and the green pill. "Actually I'm going to wait here with Raven while you and Cerise go to get your overnight bags. For hextra security on both of your ends ya know?"

"I am?" Cerise asks the not-so-sleepy princess with a raised brow.

"Yes, please?" Briar asks looking both apologetic and pleading.

"Of coarse I will, I can outrun us from any dangers after all." The look Cerise cuts the brunet princess, although understanding, also conveyed that the other would have to explain things later.

Briar smiled gratefully, silently promising with a tiny nod that all would be explained later.

"Great idea Briar!" Apple cheered. "See Raven it all worked out in the end."

Raven narrowed her eyes at Briar suspiciously. "What do you know, it did."

Once Apple and Cedar are on their way Briar closes the examining room door with her back pressed flush against the wooden surface.

"What was that all about?" Raven asks Briar in defensive confusion.

"I wanted to talk to you alone." The brunet princess states bluntly.

"Okay…" The witch says slowly. "Why…?"

"You and Apple being so freaking sweetie sweethearts to each other and yet still being so annoyingly in the friend-zone!" The princess hisses, back still to the door, looking very much like a vexed wildcat.

Raven stares at her not comprehending. "Briar… what are you talking about?"

"What am I talking about?" The brunet princess sounds close to hysteric. "You can't seriously tell me that all of those things you and Apple have been doing is merely platonic! The soul gazing into each other's eyes, the lovey dovey smiles that Apple has started to blind everyone with, the gooey-love-mush conversations that are just so full of sappy fluff to the point where my teeth actually ache just watching you two…" Briar inhales deeply having run out of oxygen, Raven is staring at her looking more and more confused by the second.

"And you have the nerve to act like that there is nothing out of the ordinary with all of this?" The princess finishes gesturing wildly.

Raven stares for a moment before leaning in to examine the other girl. "Briar, are you sure that you're alright?"

Briar scowls. "Just because I'm sleep deprived does not mean that I can't _see_ Raven."

Raven holds up her hands in a peaceful gesture. "Seriously I have no idea as to what you're talking about. Apple and I have always smiled at each other and looked one another in the eye… just because there is lovey dovey feelings on_ my _end doesn't mean that it's not purely platonic on Apple's end." A thought occurs to Raven and she immediately backs up eyes wide. "I'm not trying to seduce her if that's what you're worried about, o-or do anything indecent! I promise you that the most I've ever touched her was just to hug her I swear! I- _I would never_-"

Briar sets down her remaining water and pill on a side table and finds herself making her own peaceful gesture. "Hey… Hey! Relax ok? I know that you'd never step out of line like that, but seriously girl, if everything between you two is just "platonic" then will you care to hexplain to me just how that little "hug" we all caught you two in was completely normal? 'Cause I'm close to Apple too but I ain't _ever been that close_ to her."

It takes a moment for Raven to comprehend what the other is talking about and then several more moments before Raven is able to come up with a useful response. The brunet princess's accusations somewhat mystifying the witch, didn't Apple White treat every one of her friends the same as Raven? She struggled to remember if she had ever seen Apple hug anyone else the way she hugged Raven and continued to draw a blank.

Well Apple did always say that frienemies had a different relationship to other friendships or mortal enemies. Raven herself was not too sure what a frienemy was exactly but since Apple seemed to have a pretty good knowledge of it Raven decided long ago to just let the princess take charge of that department in everyway except when it came to Raven actually acting evil or signing the Book.

Briar waits patiently, plopping herself onto the examining table and rubbing soothing circles into her tired neck and face. She almost sighs guiltily when the witch finally turns to her looking lost.

"I-I'm not completely certain if I'm interpreting your question right but Apple has always hugged me… I guess that in the beginning I was a little uncomfortable with it so eventually she learned to not hug me for too long? But now I've pretty much gotten used to the attention and feel confident enough to reciprocate… maybe we are both clinging to each other a little more than normal because of recent events?" Raven is mostly muttering to herself, still looking confused.

Briar quietly scoffs, "_a little more than normal"_ her _tale_.

Raven fidgets. "I know that I feel comforted whenever she hugs me, despite of or alongside of my feelings for her, the part of me that loves her as my friend always gets really happy when she hugs me so…" Raven shrugs. "Really truly it's just normal for us I guess."

Briar is suddenly overcome with deep sympathy for the witch. "She has always tried to be all hugs and closeness with you?"

Raven scratches her head trying to think back, trying to remember the very first few times that she had ever encountered Apple White. It was more of a mental feat than it should have been; she knew that before she had met Apple that a little witchling Raven sort of attributed the princess in the same realm of reality as Befana, the witch's version of Santa Claus, only instead of a jolly fat man you get an all knowing powerful witch who puts her gifts and treats inside little witchling and warlock-child's shoes, you always got treats but sometimes the "gifts" were not things that you could touch or see, like how one day Raven was gifted with the sudden miraculous ability to eat those icky brussel sprouts because the foul vegetable suddenly started to taste like kiwi; and the triple goddess of which just about all witch religions worshiped.

Apple White, the princess that she was supposed to poison for the sake of continuing an old story brought about from the crimes of one of her ancestors. To witchling Raven it was utterly confusing as to the reason why everyone kept saying that she would someday harm a girl who had done Raven no real wrong. The other girl didn't really register as anything that she could see or touch, the only thing that was at all real about this Apple White was the fact that strangers seemed to despise Raven for a crime that she had never committed and had no desire to commit in the first place.

Raven did know for certain that she had several encounters with Apple White before the Evil Queen had appeared out of nowhere, the first time Raven had even seen the woman since she was only a wailing bundle a few hours old left out in the cold on the front entrance of the Pendragon Castle, and snatched Raven up into her claws for the worst two and a half months of her life.

Raven shook her head slightly to dispel the dark turn of thoughts and focused upon the little traces of memory of Apple White as a little girl… what did child Apple White look like to witchling Raven Queen…

Raven blinked with sudden clarity at the little nudge of a memory of a little girl with long fair blonde hair leaping down upon Raven from somewhere above…

Now just how could've Raven have possibly have forgotten _that_?

"Well I remember when we were in elementary school she was almost the only one who didn't run away from me." Raven giggles nostalgically. "In fact I distinctly remember running away from her on more than one occasion because when she would see me coming-"

Recognition dawned on Briar. "Oh yeah I remember, she used to take a flying leap at you and hug the stuffing out of you!"

Raven nodded smiling ruefully. "Yeah, before trying to drag me off so that we could all pretend to act out her story."

Briar winced; she remembered that too, along with the fact that they spent most of recess trying to chase the freaked out witchling down so that she could play her part.

Raven was lost in the memory an amused smile on her lips; Apple White had gone from a vague unsubstantial story that strangers talked about to her almost fanatically, to a living, breathing, wild little thing that had latched onto Raven like a magnet and excitedly proclaiming things about fairytales that sounded just too crazy to be believed for Raven at the time.

Raven continued trying not to laugh at the mental image of what the two of them must have looked like when she and Apple first met, it really must have been quite the spectacle. "Later on she still didn't run away from me but her hugs stopped being so…" She grappled for a word.

"Demanding?" Briar supplied.

Raven shrugged guiltily. "I think that she started to realize that her hugs made me uncomfortable so she lightened up on them for awhile… I don't know when that all started to change and I started hugging back hexactly but all I know is that she seems to brighten up more when I hug her back and I guess I am guilty of clinging onto her now… but I don't… think that I can stop even if I tried. At least not until she finds out about the whole… True Love thing and her hugs stop being genuine. Hex that would really hurt if… when that happens."

Briar feels her gut compress painfully, having an idea as to what the witch was so worried about. She flops back onto the examining bed and scrubs her face with her hands. "You think that once Apple finds out that she'll- what? Not be genuine in her affections or something? Like… fake love you back? I thought that you were more concerned with Apple being forced to marry you outside of her own free will?" Briar peeks at the witch from her prone position.

Raven gives a pained look towards the tiny curtained window. "Doesn't that go hand in hand?" She asks quietly. "To be forced into becoming the witch's wife when what Apple truly wants is a fairytale and a prince? I could love Apple with every fiber of my being and fall to my knees to profess my love for her every single day for the rest of my life but that still would not be enough if Apple's affections are dictated by duty and not actual love."

Briar's breath, which fills her chest from the gasp due to Raven's intimate confession, gets stuck in her throat when Raven turns to her; the witch's gaze is intense and passionate.

"I, Raven Queen love Apple White." She says her words steady and strong with the overwhelming truth. "I would rather see Apple happy, healthy, and thoroughly loved by another than to have to watch the girl I love so deeply have to compromise for less by becoming the wife of the witch she only sees as both a friend and villain. To spend the rest of her prolonged days in constant compromises and striving to become less of herself, to become nothing more then that of a love-struck foolish witch's doll wife just because whatever twisted fate decided to have her be bonded by True Love to a witch that is so hopelessly in love with her…" Raven trails off realizing that she is beginning to ramble.

The witch's eyes blaze looking unseeingly into space. "I love Apple too much to have her settle for anything less than a perfect fairytale happily ever after with all the princes and traditions that her heart desires! I may have come up short by being unable to ever harm her or become the needed villain of her story but as long as Apple does not end up hurt I will gladly shove my true feelings for her down a hole and be the friend that she has made of me and stay her friend until my traitorous heart that she unknowingly holds makes it impossible to stay by her side any longer! I will gladly take all the hurt to my heart and the aching blows to my sinful desire as long as she is happy! Even when the time comes for her to find out about my farce and come hate me for it, as long as she is living the good happy life of her dreams I could care less about myself, I will console myself with happier memories and let her live her own life the way she wants to because I love her enough to let her go because I know that she would be happier elsewhere!"

When she is finished Raven is panting from the exertion of baring her heart so openly and her eyes are misting with tears but she stands tall and determined as if daring the universe as a whole to just try and stop her from making the girl she loved happy.

Briar sits up, jumping off of her seat to stand before the witch looking serious and pityingly at the same time. "You sound certain that despite the True Love you share with Apple that she will not have enough feelings to love you back, or have feeling for you at all."

Raven meets her gaze. "Apple is attracted to boys not girls." The witch states the fact with an honest air of finality. "Sexuality is more than simple choice and magic, it's genetics and the truth in one's heart. No magic, not even True Love can change genetics and the truth in one's heart. How many of those almost-but-never-to-be fairytales had a True Love bond that failed because one or both parties could not fight their natures, their own hearts, to force things to work out?"

Briar feels her arguments die on her tongue at the witch's words. Several too many stories had perished with terrifying endings almost but never making it into the Book of Legends for just that reason… that and there were no heirs to continue the line- well sans for Swan Lake, there had to have been at least one heir for Duchess to even exist.

"What about you?" Briar says in a breath. "What about your heart? Are… are you sure that you can survive this? Because whether Apple comes to have feelings for you or not I know that it would be devastating to her if you collapsed under your own heartbreak. Hex it would be devastating to all of us… you do know that we care about your wellbeing too right?" The brunet princess asks desperately, pleadingly, as if she were afraid that the witch was going to martyr herself and take the weight of all that heartbreak upon her shoulders, quite possibly killing herself in the process.

Raven huffs a little indignantly and gives the other a wild, wicked smirk that's effect is slightly less potent than usual due to the small tears that begin to flow from the witch's eyes.

"I am a witch." Raven states simply. "More importantly I am a witch with a whole coven of wonderful friends who have been so very kind to see me through all of this, as long as I have you guys by my side and Apple safe and sound nothing, not even my mother, _or_ True Love can stop me." The words are strong despite the bitter heartbroken tremble in her voice and the tears slipping past her porcelain face.

Briar's heart feels on the verge of shattering itself seeing the witch hold herself up so strongly while standing upon the shattered remains of her heart and being held together solely from sheer determination and the unrequited love for the fair Apple White.

"And we won't allow anything to stop you." Briar promises gathering the witch into a crushing hug.

Raven nearly crumbles in the other's hold and cries silently into Briar's shoulder.

XXX

From the other side of the slightly ajar door Cedar draws in a deep breath before gently closing the door and stepping out into the hallway. It is only when she is certain that no one will see her does she lean heavily on a stone wall, thinking.

It made the wooden girl worried and saddened to know that Raven thought so little of herself that she was so very certain that Apple will eventually grow to hate the witch and not fall, to some degree, in love with her. Hex! That heartfelt confession, those feelings pouring into Raven's words that Cedar just overheard was the type of thing that all the princes at Ever After High strived to achieve at least a tiny splinter of the feelings Raven just laid out like it was nothing and just about all of the princesses, damsels, and maidens would kill (she actually knew a few that would literally kill) to have anybody love them the way Raven loved Apple.

But Apple's feelings or lack thereof seemed to be the real problem in this whole situation, the whole basis on the right coarse of action to take rested solely on whether or not Apple could harbor romantic feelings for Raven.

Casually beginning to wander back to her dorm by passing through a shortcut that no one seemed to know about but her (as a result of constantly ducking persistent questioners, which for the most part consisted of Blondie, Cedar had discovered some hidden passages within the walls of the old castle structure) Cedar pondered Raven's words about genetics and the truth residing within the heart and how it was all linked to whether Apple could have the potential to like girls or not.

Come to think of it Apple was always going on about how the hero boys were all so dreamy but at the same time she was perfectly ok with Daring dating nearly the entire single female population of the school and Apple herself had never gone on a single date since… well ever. It kind of made the wooden girl wonder if Apple was really all that interested in normal hormonal teenager stuff or if she was so sanitized by all of that strict royal training that her entire life had become one big part to act out and anything outside of her narrow sense of the world was deemed either unimportant or not existing at all.

The girl suppressed a snort of laughter maybe Apple's home teachers had wanted to keep the princess so "pure" that she still believed that the stork brought babies and that lesbians were just two unmarried female "roommates"… well if things were like that then maybe the whole concept of homosexuality wasn't even on Apple White's radar.

Cedar stopped for a moment thinking over that mental bit of amusing rambling.

"Wait a splinter…" She muttered, it couldn't be that simple…

Could it?

XXX

Cerise casts her companion a sidelong glance. "You're awfully quiet." She comments softly to the princess who is marching forward, the foreign robe fluttering about her feet, and holding the air of a queen who looks like she _really_ wants to chop someone's head off.

Apple grunts in an un-princess-like manner in response.

"Okay… does it have something to do with Raven's old injuries?" The wolf child asks carefully.

Apple rounds onto Cerise a deadly fire in her eyes. "So you _were_ listening in!" The princess hissed hands clenched into fists at the ready to her sides.

_And it would seem that I've touched a nerve._ Cerise leaned back, hands up in what she hoped was a peaceful gesture.

"Hey I've known for a long time that Raven had some scars under those depressing clothes and that restrictive high collar." Cerise admitted lowly. "The enchanted glamour cream that she used to use in order to cover it up has a very distinct odor and as her partner in damsel-in-distressing I've gotten a glimpse of that nasty scar on the back of her neck. I'm just asking because you two had taken a while to get changed." …And that she had also used her wolf hearing to listen in with Briar. But Cerise had far better self-preservation instincts than to admit that part out loud.

Apple relaxed fractionally continuing forward with the same determination as before. For a brief moment Cerise could actually see a queen peeking through that flakey princess persona.

"Does Raven know that you have knowledge of her scars?" Apple asked tersely not even sparing Cerise a glance.

"No." Cerise promised. "It's none of my business where, when, or just how badly Raven was injured in the past, and just for further clarification I am in no way asking for you to gossip about it. I just want to know how you are and how well you are _really_ coping with it, I can practically see the protective rage seeping from your skin so I'm just guessing that there is something more to what you are feeling right now and maybe you just need someone to talk to."

Apple relaxes a little more, her hardened eyes looking down at the ground before her in silent contemplation.

"Whether you want to talk or not I just, you know, want you to understand that I'll listen if you need me to." Cerise shrugs non-committing-ly.

Apple slows her pace releasing a pent up breath that she felt like she had been holding since she had first glimpsed Ravens mutilated back earlier that night.

"The Evil Queen is a b-bitch." The princess stumbled over the unaccustomed curse word but her statement rang clear.

Cerise starts at the unexpected foul-mouthed princess but remains quiet.

"I… do not know what happened exactly, Raven is not comfortable talking about it, but I do know who had hurt Raven and I… I just…"

Cerise curiously watches the princess hunch over herself, teeth bared, hands making clawing motions, much like an incensed wildcat.

"I want to claw that despicable woman's eyes out!" The princess growls eyes hard as diamonds. "I want to do very violent things to the Evil Queen… It… It goes against everything that I've been taught to be fair and gentle like a true princess should be but I can't help it, not after what I've seen, the end results of what _she_ has done to Raven!"

For her part Cerise does not jump back with a gasp of shock at the other's out of character bloodlust. It is a near, near thing but the wolf child manages, settling on looking alert and intrigued.

"It may not be in proper form for a princess." Cerise mutters quietly. "But for a queen Apple, for a queen your rage and your desire to protect the one you…_ love _through any means necessary, _that_ is what separates you from being just a figurehead to an _actual queen_ who is fully capable of ruling her realm on _her own will_."

Cerise manages to catch a stunned princess's eye. "Just because you feel rage towards the Evil Queen for what she did to Raven does not make you a terrible person. In fact in my personal opinion I am very relieved that you care enough about Raven to throw off that constant learned instinct to be the perfect little damsel. Because Apple, if you were being the perfect princess right now and whining about how _"scary"_ the Evil Queen was and how you hope that "_your prince would come in to save the day"_ and other such damsel _bull_, I would seriously have to punch your lights out."

Apple shrinks back slightly blinking rapidly.

Cerise turns fully to the princess, stopping the both of them in their tracks, looking dead serious. "Believe me when I say that Raven's only hope for survival in all of this is if you stop worrying about behaving like the perfect helpless princess and be more confident in behaving like a future queen. Fainting and crying for help is just plain embarrassing when you are trying to rule a kingdom, and it will get Raven killed for an absolute certainty. Keep your rage in a box for now, use what leaks out as fuel to better prepare for any eventuality, and most importantly of all, to strive to be a better companion to Raven, who needs _Queen Apple White_ the most right now."

Apple stares at Cerise back upright, composure regal and unreadable, vivid blue eyes appearing to search the other's grey ones; for what exactly the wolf girl did not know.

Finally the princess blinks and nods her head curtly. "I… suppose that your reasoning is sound, and Raven has always been on edge about the whole "damsel image" I've been trained to portray, even as far back as our first meeting."

The two begin to move forward again. "Oh? And how did that go? I was… home schooled so I didn't attend elementary with the rest of you." Cerise asks with a smile, relieved that the tension seemed to be dissipating.

Apple let loose an amused huff. "She ran away from me in fear."

Cerise looked closely at the princess blinking slowly, Apple grinned a little wickedly back.

"I had wanted to enact my future story at recess… well maybe I should start this a little earlier; It all started at the first day of Nursery Rhyme School, and I was in a tizzy for about a week before because I got to finally meet Raven Queen, the girl who was supposed to make my happily ever after happen. I was nervous that Raven would actually be really mean along with being evil, so nervous in fact that I decided to follow Raven around for a while to get a better understanding of the future villain of my story." Apple began to explain a wistful look crossing over her face.

Cerise really felt that she shouldn't have been as surprised as she was, Apple White, according to the wolf girl at least, was weird enough that stalking Raven as a kid really shouldn't have been very surprising at all.

"She was… such a cutie!" Apple grinned broadly. "And one of the sweetest little sweethearts you could ever imagine! She was still getting the hang of her powers so the most she could really do with it without going through a spell was to make these pretty purple shapes and she tended to get a lot of practice in because… well the other kids seemed to be afraid of her reputation, but she never really seemed to have minded… she was used to it… I guess."

Apple paused looking more subdued. "The local cat tribe loved her, she would spend free time either playing with them or curling up in a giant furry pile of them for an afternoon nap."

"Sound like your average witchling to me." Cerise commented.

Apple smiled a little wider. "What finally brought me enough courage to confront her was when she rushed to Cedar's aid and scared off Sparrow Hood and his band of bullies and then turned around and used her powers to entertain Cedar enough so that she stopped crying and forgot the reason why she was so sad in the first place. It was because Raven was both incredibly nice and… well courageous sounds more accurate than evil really, but at the time I at least thought that Raven had potential to become my very best friennemy ever after, so I just got so hexcited to finally introduce myself to her and I was so busy imagining us playing out my story in a game of pretend that I might have been… a bit overzealous when introducing myself."

"Overzealous?" Cerise asked.

Apple scratched her head, a habit she had picked up from Raven, thinking over that embarrassing moment. "I jumped out of the tree I was hiding in and hugged the stuffing out of her."

Cerise cut Apple a look that was both a little horrified and disbelieving.

"At least she figured out how to use her powers to suspend us in mid air for a while so that I didn't end up injuring us both." Apple added looking a little guilty now that she took the time to think back to the day.

"I take it by that little scene we all walked in on earlier that now Raven has gotten used to the hugs enough to like them and hug back?" Cerise guessed.

Again the princess shifted guiltily and scratched her head some more. "Well… yes and no actually, that is more of a recent development and for the most part I am still the one who initiates the hugs, it took me _years_ to get her to trust me enough to be this close to her! I am thankful that she lets me hug her now; in the beginning I guess that she must have thought that I was a crazy person or something because it actually got to a point where she seemed to actually sense the times when I would be overcome with the desire to hug her and she'd drop what she was doing to run away." Apple laughed a little, what a sight the two of them must of made! "I would always chase after her so I guess no one really blamed her."

"The princess Snow White chasing the not-so-villain because she wanted to hug her?" Cerise muttered, well the context may have changed when they had gotten older, what with Apple wanting Raven to sign the book and be her "frienemy" but some things still stayed the same.

"Yeah…" Apple said with considerably less humor in her tone. "And then one day Raven disappeared for a long time and when she came back she was… different. It was like she was terrified of being touched and when I hugged her for the first time in a while she screamed as if she was in pain and… fainted."

Apple sucked in a pained breath, closing her eyes tightly. "Oh."

"Oh?" Cerise parroted; they both halted.

Apple gently rubbed her arms through the soft sleeves of Raven's kimono, looking for all the world like she had just done something unforgivable.

"Shortly after Raven disappeared, Wonderland was poisoned." Was all Apple had to say.

Cerise hissed. "Godsdamn." She swore passionately.

"It must have been when Raven had been… hurt. A-and why she was in so much pain when I…" The princess shuddered trying to draw in breath through the ice in her lungs.

"You didn't know." Cerise reminded.

Apple looked down. "I still hurt her."

Cerise thought for a moment. "If… Raven did tell you… back then I mean, what would you have done?"

Apple looked at the hooded girl thinking carefully. "I would have apologized… I would have tried to hug her or touch her more gently and with her prior permission from then on to show her that she didn't have to be afraid of my touch… I would have wanted to see her wounds… I-" The princess pauses thinking over her last statement in her mind.

"…I… would have wanted to… kiss every single mark on her skin better." The princess finally admits.

Cerise lets out a breath through her nose. "Wow."

Briar was going to hit the roof in frustration when she heard about this.

"Is that too weird?" Apple fidgets with her hands worriedly.

Cerise draws in a deep breath, willing her sanity to stay intact. Maybe she should handle this delicately, sidestep the question completely, and pretend that the other did not utter such a maddening statement with such platonic pretenses.

Then again what better opportunity to see if the fare Apple White really had what it took to be by Raven's side.

Cerise steeled herself, friendship and Raven's wellbeing was far more important than avoiding going through a few minutes of Apple White's insanity. "Well now that all depends; does Raven mean something special to you?"

"Of coarse!" Apple exclaimed looking a little affronted as if the other was questioning if such a thing were really true.

Cerise pressed on. "Do you want to care for her? In sickness and through health?"

"I always do." Apple places her hands on her hips.

"Do you always want her by your side? Do you see yourself and Raven together for years to come?" Cerise watches Apple's reaction intensely.

Apple relaxes a few margins. "If Raven can survive this then I'll never let her out of my life! We'll be together forever!" The princess declares.

"Will you stick with her? Through good times and bad?" Cerise takes a step closer coming toe to toe with the other.

"Always." Apple takes up Cerise's silent challenge and looks at the wolf girl right back in eyes, the princess could see a test when it was given to her.

"And you won't tire of her? Cast her aside for someone better?" Cerise smirks at the silent seething of the other at her statement.

"Never." The princess hisses. "That will never happen because there is no one better than Raven."

Cerise gives a tiny nod trying not to grin maniacally at the rare sight of Apple White truly incensed.

"Will you protect her? Avenge her for all the bad that has been brought down onto her for no reason aside for her birth?" The wolf child watches the other carefully taking note that the princess's eyes are glowing and how such a clear blue can come from just a little magic.

"If I ever stumble upon the Evil Queen," Apple says slowly, dangerously, "I will rip out her eyes and throat and be done with it." She promises with bared teeth.

Cerise smiles slowly like molasses over popcorn. "Then it is not weird. If all of that is true then wanting to kiss Raven is only a natural progression in your relationship." The hooded one comments half sarcastically half actually wondering with a sort of macabre awe if the princess was really so thick as to be totally oblivious to her own obvious feelings for the witch.

With that said, and those thoughts festering in her mind, the hooded girl walks forward.

Apple blinks stunned at the spot the other was just standing before tentatively walking forward and catching up to Cerise.

"What do you mean by that exactly?" Apple asks warily after what felt like a long moment of oppressive silence to the princess. To Cerise the silence had ended far too soon.

"Well you and Raven are really close." Cerise points out feeling a growing dread for what she had started.

"…Yes…" Apple admits.

"And you share this special magical bond." The hooded one points out a little dryly.

Apple holds up her hand remembering the feel of Raven's magic protecting her earlier that night. She gasps when her hand erupts in light.

Cerise smiles, although it is a little frayed at the edges. "Raven is a witch Apple, this type of thing does not happen unless Raven holds you very dearly in her heart. More dearly than anybody else in the entire world." Cerise gestures to Apple's still glowing hand.

Apple melts looking at her glowing hand sappily. "Raven." She murmurs at barley a whisper cradling the hand over her heart and feeling comfortable warmth fill her from her chest to the marrow of her bones.

_And after all of that, she's still oblivious._ Cerise sighs feeling drained.

Apple starts humming off tune and skipping her way down the halls leading to the girl's dorm.

Which only further confirmed Cerise's theory of Raven being some sort of mad woman, or angel in disguise, or something with a whole lot of patience because who in their right mind would willingly put up with _this_ nonsense every single day?

Apple's obliviousness, Apple's desperate Royal campaign against the Rebels, Apple being all lovey dovey but not really because apparently she was not complete unless she got a fairy-freaking-tale and a perfect-freaking Prince Charming, oh and that thing that Apple was doing right now… that- that irritating humming and the girly skipping!

Cerise was very surprised that the princess hadn't driven the poor witch to the loony bin at this point. She sure knew that anymore of these type of shenanigans from both Apple and Raven was going to drive both herself and Briar into voluntarily checking into the nearest mental institution.

Cerise was tempted to just up and point out to the princess that she was obviously madly in… well Apple had some form of a crush on Raven, Cerise wasn't comfortable calling it love quite yet, but it was some heavy duty romantic feelings nonetheless!

But if the wolf girl said anything along the lines of the princess having a crush on, or being in love with Raven, Cerise was certain that Apple's answer would be annoyingly platonic.

She could just imagine Apple saying something along the lines of; _"Oh silly Cerise, of course I love Raven, she's my very best frienemy after all!"_

Or even something similar to; _"Ha, ha I guess you're right, but hey I'm not the only one of Raven's friends that has a girl version of a bro-crush or a bromance for her. Hey Cerise what sounds better; a sismance or a sistah-crush?"_

Cerise was too busy tiredly obsessing over the many possible idiotic platonic answers that innocent Apple White would have to her own attempts to explain without mentioning True Love to notice the creak of a door being pulled open behind them until it was too late.

The sound hit Cerise's sensitive hearing first causing the girl to cringe into an instinctive protective crouch, ears folded back in irritation under her hood.

It was only a second or three too long that Cerise stayed hunched over in an attempt to block out those familiar yet very embarrassing sounds before she realized a second too late that Apple had left her side to investigate what she apparently thought were sounds of someone in pain.

The princess couldn't have been more wrong.

In the heartbeats between Apple's stunned wide-eyed moment of shattered shock and the scream rising in the princess's throat Cerise gripped the girl's mouth with one hand and wrapped her free arm around Apple's middle, using her speed to rush the two of them the remaining way into Apple and Raven's dorm.

"Don't scream." Cerise commands quickly once the two of them have been successfully whisked inside, hand still covering the princess's mouth.

Apple makes a panicked squeak hyperventilating.

"No." Cerise commands again.

It only works for a split moment before the image burned into the princess's brain causes her to squeak and make the promising beginning sounds of a truly royal princess freak-out tantrum.

"Apple…" Cerise warns eyes flashing gold distracting the princess momentarily. "Breath out. All of your breath. Breath it out."

Apple does what she is told giving Cerise enough time to blink away and return with a particularly fluffy apple red pillow before Apple has enough breath for a scream.

"This. Over your mouth. Now." The hooded one commands.

Apple snatches the pillow away, hugging the pillow tightly over her face, stumbling back until she is on the ground, leaning heavily on the closed door, and letting loose her mortified screams.

Cerise collapses at the other end of the short entrance hallway and shakily tries to remind herself that the princess's muffled screams sound louder to only her and her excellent wolf hearing and that there was a good chance that no one else would be walking by the deserted hallway and try to investigate the princess's panicked sounds.

After what felt like forever Apple quiets down breathing in deeply the scent of one of Raven's relaxing sleepy time perfume concoctions that Apple had grown fond of despite it not being evil or malevolent in any shape or form.

"Kitty and Maddie were-" Apple choked out hoarsely. "They were k-kissing a-and…"

"Naked?" Cerise supplied dryly.

"Wh-… why were they… _what_ were they doing?" Apple asked horrified and perplexed.

Cerise snorted. "Mating." She replied sarcastically.

The gears in Apple's brain seemed to stop. "Bu- but girls can't have children without a boy!" She exclaimed. "Why would they…" She gestured fanatically. "Be doing _that_ when they are both girls and can't make each other pregnant? And why would they even try? We're still in High School for the ancestors sake!"

Cerise's brain grinds to a stop.

"Excuse me?" Cerise says weakly.

Apple rolls her eyes. "Cerise, hasn't anybody ever given you "the talk", everybody knows that you only have-" The princess lowers her voice to a whisper, "_sex_, if you are married and going to produce an heir." The blonde states as if it should have been obvious.

_Oh royal ancestors in hell_. Cerise scrunches her face up as if pained. "Apple…" she begins slowly. "Are you trying to tell me that you were taught that sex is just for making children… and were never told the _very true_ truths of _sex is not_ just for procreation but for _recreational pleasure_ too?"

Apple is silent for a moment. "Pleasure? It's supposed to feel good?"

_Crap_. Cerise nods very seriously, she is also very still. "Yes Apple if sex doesn't have feelings of _pleasure only_ on both sides then someone is doing something terribly wrong. Also people nowadays do have sex outside of marriage if they so choose to do so, that is what these things called _contraceptives_ and _birth control_ are for to keep anybody from having unplanned pregnancies."

Apple scrutinizes Cerise like she doesn't believe her. "Since when has it become okay for people to do that outside of their marriage bed? My nanny says that only good girls wait until they are _married_. Or sometimes good girls don't do it at all; sometimes they use magic and science to have a baby." The princess asks defensively.

Cerise scowls making the princess flinch back. "Your nanny I am certain is a very nice man or lady who probably just wanted to keep your innocence and this whole _fairness_ that comes with being in the White family, however Apple White I must regrettably be the one to inform you that it is only within the last few decades where it is somewhat socially acceptable for many of the humans in the human realms to openly admit that they have had sex outside of marriage. And you know what? Before then people still had sex outside of marriage but they kept quiet about it!"

Apple's mouth falls open comically, which just irritates Cerise even further. "In Wonderland it has never been an issue and for every single creature other than humans since the very beginning of time, sex, mostly for pleasure, outside of marriage is not only a common fact of life but encouraged! I'm surprised that you don't already know this considering the fact that you live with a witch!"

Apple's eyes go comically wide. "Raven has had sex?" Apple nearly screams scandalized.

"I highly doubt it!" Cerise nearly roars back patience finally snapped. "Especially considering that Raven is forced to take her schooling here and learn only about one stinking style of magic and not a proper witch's academy where not only would she be treated like an actual person and not a villain, but most likely from my understanding of what witch's find sexy and attractive Raven would've had an entire fan base of fellow witches fighting each other to the death and worshiping the ground she walked on just for Raven to acknowledge their existence! If Raven ever craved for a healthy relationship without this whole Rebel vs. Royal insanity looming over her head, whether it be sexual or not the pickings here male or female are far too slim, and you know what? Maybe meeting a nice girl outside of this crazy school who is willing to be with Raven because she is Raven, and date her, and make plans for the future with her, have wild and wicked lesbian sex with her, marry her in a proper witch's ceremony, and have her bare her thirteen and a half witchlings and warlock-children spread throughout their freakily long lifetimes would do Raven some good!"

Silence reigns broken only by Cerise's gulps for fresh air. Apple's entire body is glowing and even though the princess is pink with embarrassment Cerise instinctually knows that the True Love bond did not like what she had to say one bit.

The princess looks down and to the side dejectedly, her eyes unreadable and vacant. "Would Raven really have been happier going to school somewhere else?" she asks voice resigned.

Cerise sighs heavily. "Well it definitely would have saved her some grief…" She admitted darkly. Another sigh. "But I think that meeting you and the current relationship the two of you share at this moment outweighs, only slightly mind you, the what-could-have-been."

Apple tilts her head up looking hopeful.

"For Raven to have made such an effort to stay by you, despite your differences and your battling causes, means a whole lot." Cerise informs firmly, trying to impress her words through Apple's thick skull.

"She could have left you know. After Legacy Day she could have packed what little that she considered hers, took sanctuary in the Grand Coven, who would have taken her in without a second thought, and never looked back. But she stayed and shouldered the consequences not because she wanted to become the leader of the Rebels… she stayed for _you_ Apple White."

"What?" Apple squeaked waterly.

Cerise looked the princess in the eye. "Every third Thursday of each month after school the most active Rebels meet at the Hatter's Tea Shoppe to vent, share our dreams, but mostly we have fun being around each other, we always invite Raven out of formality but she always politely declines because those are the same days you and Raven agreed to set aside your politics and just hang out and just be Raven and Apple for a while."

Apple swallows thickly, she didn't know about this.

"Even though us active Rebels are very grateful that Raven decided to stay and allow all of us to adopt her as our fearless leader, it is no secret that the night of Legacy Day, when Raven returned to your dorm to await the definite argument that would ensue, Maddie and Hunter had rounded up the most vocal of us and we all agreed that whatever happened next we would not back down from what Raven had started." The princess stopped breathing at Cerise's admission. So even without Raven being present the Rebel movement was beginning to form.

Cerise looked to the side where the moonlight illuminated Raven's photo collection. "In one of our meetings Ashlynn told us that right after everyone left for their dorms Hunter stayed out under your guy's balcony for the whole night, listening to you guys argue, incase Raven needed help escaping the school grounds. He was already determined to return the next day after he got her somewhere safe and come back to continue the cause."

Cerise turned her reflective golden eyes to Apple, reminding the other girl, ironically, of a very dainty wolf instead of a girl. "Do you see what I am trying to say princess? The Rebels may be very fond of Raven and we admire her for her bravery and kindness but we did not need her to stay here in order for us to form, She may have been the first to break the proverbial line for us, but once broken and without any provable reason to go back into our forced roles we would have become the Rebels regardless. We all know that Hunter would have easily taken Raven's place and Maddie has hinted more than once that she was going to stand up for Raven's wishes even if Raven wasn't there to see it in person."

Apple covered her hand to her face and hugged the pillow close.

Cerise moved fluidly to a predatory crouch looking very much at home in the light of the moon. "Raven did not stay for us or for the sake of the Rebel cause, Raven Queen stayed at Ever After for _you_. You may have thought that Raven was being selfish or even doing all of this just to slight you but that is not true, even if this bond you share never existed there would still have been a very strong chance that she would have died anyway."

Apple looks at Cerise sharply. "What do you mean?" The princess demands hoarsely.

"Are you really so innocent as to believe that no one would try to take a potshot at her in retaliation for her mother's crimes?" Cerise growled. "_That monster killed people _Apple, and harmed a lot more, _entire worlds_ full of people despise the Evil Queen. I did some research around some of the darker areas of the mirrornet recently, and _Kitty at my request,_ which is _definitely something_ let me tell you, snooped around on her own and collectively we have found that a lot of very angry people who identify themselves as the KEQ have moved to your kingdom eagerly awaiting your story to begin."

Apple grits her teeth at the radical group's name. "I know of them." For her part the princess does not weep like she had been trained to do when someone was being too harsh for her liking, too busy trying to take said harsh person's advice and squashing the murderous rage she felt for the radical group into a box for later use.

Apple crossed legs meditation style and rested her head on her intertwined hands in a very business like fashion; Cerise relaxes considerably when instead of the trademark I'm-a-airheaded-princess sparkle in Apple's eye there is an intelligent gleam that admittedly looks far more attractive on the blonde in comparison.

"My mother and father have worked to raise awareness about the realities of fairytale characters lives and to dispel the group entirely and for Raven's safety in our realm we have taken measures to ensure her safe relocation into a specially prepared mirror in my personal bedchambers where she can stay until the danger has passed and we can relocate her to a safer location so that she can live her life as she wants."

Cerise raises a brow at this. "And how is being chased by mobs, left to fend for herself on the streets, and locked in chains a decent definition of being _safe_ hexactly?"

Apple takes a deep breath. "It isn't." She says in exhale. "The "mob" and the "authorities" that Raven had seen in her story are all apart of our most trusted security personnel, it's tradition to carefully select staff to _pretend_ to be concerned citizens chasing down the Evil Queen and apprehending her."

Cerise's expression goes flat; maybe insanity was a genetic trait in the White family.

"She'll be perfectly safe!" Apple defended. "It may be a scary bit of time for her due to those uneducated extremist crazies running loose." Apple spat in distaste. "But it all just boils down to a harmless, fun game of one-sided tag at the end of the day, so long as I can help it no malice will befall Raven in my kingdom."

Cerise amended her previous mental statement; all Royals were insane.

Apple rubbed her nose thinking for a moment. "As for that one image of Raven in chains… I can only assume that the Book was projecting Raven's expectations and feelings and trying to guess what her life after-words would be like. I mean for me the Book didn't even depict my true love's kiss just one little image showing that Raven was kind enough to tuck me into bed after she poisoned me. Hex, the Book predicted that I'd become a famous singer! Like I'd have the time to go on tour and sing when I'm busy trying to help my parents rule a kingdom and prepare myself for the eventuality of the two of them retiring a few years after my tale!" The princess laughed.

The hooded girl freezes in horror as a thought struck her.

Apple stopped laughing. "Cerise? What is it?"

"Is part of this "play acting tradition" of yours acting out Raven's arrest?" Cerise looks on the edge of panic.

Apple turns serious immediately. "It has been suggested that Raven is made to _appear_ like she is paying for her "crimes" to perhaps ease the tensions of KEQ sympathizers." She admits lowly.

Cerise paled.

Apple leans forward, her hands flat on the ground. "Cerise," she commands, "tell me what you know."

Cerise meets Apple's eye. "Kitty mentioned that Raven had once told Maddie that she had seen a man dressed like a police officer whom she recognized as the man who had tried to abduct her from Nursery Rhyme school by posing as a personal family driver. That man was leading Raven away in the scene where you pointed her out as your poisoner."

Apple swears, no hesitations in her speech this time, the magic spikes violently around her.

Cerise puts her hooded head into her hands and focuses on breathing.

XXX

From the other side of the princess and witch's dorm room door, across the hall, and waiting behind a corner two individuals sat in two out of three mismatched chairs and an out-of-place small table set with tea fixings.

Cedar sits very quietly in her chair; if she weren't made of wood she'd be blushing bright red at the moment.

Maddie sits next to her, hair messed wilder than usual and wearing a crumpled paw print nightgown under a bright pink and teal green shawl which she clutches closed one fistedly over her upper body.

"Sooo." Cedar tries awkwardly. "You and Kitty huh?"

"Yes indeedy, she has proven to be a suitable partner for me and I am very much happy with our relationship… even though we can't seem to get enough privacy lately." The mad girl sighed mourning the loss of the mood she and Kitty had before it died a sudden and very public death.

Cedar took a big sip of the untouched tea in front of her; fighting the urge to take a glance or discretely feel the pocket where she had stashed the bit of puppet string she had retrieved from the Wonderland couple's dorm room handle.

Kitty materialized clad in teacup sleep pants and beige green happi coat glory next to the chair on the other side of Maddie with a string of riddleish curses.

Cedar gulped down the rest of her tea as she noticed that the Cheshire cat had no shirt or bra underneath and the cat girl had not secured the front with the tie-on belt too well in her rush to put something on, the material just barley left the girl decent around the chest area.

"Beloved?" Maddie asked concerned.

"The fair one is _fine_, her entire clan seems to be full of inbred mad folk with deplorable combat strategy skills, but other than that there is nothing that time and a more in-depth lesson in the way of physical love can't fix." Kitty grouched.

Cedar poured herself more of this _"special tea"_ that Maddie had provided her with a separate pot all of her own for only Cedar to use, as Maddie herself had specified.

Maddie smiled sympathetically, standing up to adjust Kitty's twice borrowed coat. "Now you've got me all intrigued care to enlighten me over blood silk tea?"

Kitty grinned nuzzling the other girl and purring. "Anything for you."

Cedar gulped down another half cup, it was scalding hot but she was made out of wood so she didn't really care.

"Darling hatter, why does she have her own tea pot?" Kitty asked, eyeing the wooden girl warily as she began to sway in her chair.

"I raided the… "special catnip" if you know what I mean." Maddie muttered discreetly. "She looked like she really needed it."

Cedar had never found the ceiling so fascinating before.

"We have some of the "you-know-what-that-no-one-but-those-who-were born-in-Wonderland-can-drink-because-it'll-make-outsiders-all-you-know-what" stashed away somewhere? And how do we know when she has had enough?" Kitty asked Maddie feeling a sort of astonishment that the other had a hiding place that she had not found yet.

"You'll find it eventually love." Maddie assured. "And it's watered down so she should be fine."

"Pwetty flashy lights." Cedar giggled pawing at the air.

"Unless she is made of light wood." Kitty bit her lip to keep from laughing.

"Unless she is a lightweight." Maddie agreed.

XXX

"Thank you daddy for getting up this late to take my call." Apple White stood regally while addressing her father.

"It really is no bother baby girl, especially considering the nature of the reason why you have called." A tired baritone voice replied. "I have already made the arrangements, we will contact you when we find out anything."

"I appreciate that, thanks again." Apple smiled for the first time since she had began her call.

"No problem, anything for your friend whom you and your mother seem to be very fond of." The king yawned.

Apple blinked. "Daddy what-?"

But the king was fast asleep in his chair.

Apple shook her head at her father's antics. "Goodnight daddy, I love you." With that she hung up.

"Everything all squared away?" Cerise asks bags at the ready around her feet.

"Yep." Apple confirms. "They're going to open the old case file tomorrow, it's best to get this guy now before he has a chance to go underground."

Cerise nods understandingly. The two stand for a moment unsure where to pick up any conversation.

"Hey Apple?" The hooded girl asks quietly.

"Hmm?" Apple looks up her own eyes feeling heavy.

"Tell Raven about how that whole being "chased by the mob" thing was all just harmless tradition. I mean it really sounded like she believed that she was going to get killed, that and she doesn't have anybody to tell her about your traditions so… yeah, tell her that you weren't just going to leave her to rot."

Apple felt her breath stick in her throat at the quiet request. "Raven thinks that I would-"

"You know how she is." Cerise huffs. "Raven would have no reason to question whether you would or not because she seems to feel like she shouldn't expect people to treat her nicely if she ever became the Evil Queen… actually I think that she sort of expected that her worst fears would become truth but because she chose to be like her mother she… well deserved the treatment."

Apple is quiet for a long while.

"Hey Cerise?"

"Yeah?"

"You said that Raven stayed for me." The princess takes a deep breath afraid of the answer to her question. "Do… you know why she'd do that?"

Cerise softened. "Raven already broke your heart once by not signing the Book, she was bound and determined not to hurt you anymore by leaving without a word."

"Apple." Cerise tells the princess almost pleadingly. "I was being very serious when I said that Raven does care about you more than she cares about anyone else, part of the reason why she didn't sign the book was because she didn't want whatever was of her mother that was inside of her to hurt you. She would rather you hate her for the rest of your life then to ever touch you that way."

_She loves you, she loves you, she loves you, can't you see?_ Cerise silently pleads.

Apple lets out a little helpless sob but keeps composed enough to ask another question.

"Do you think that you could speed us back? I want to see Raven."

Cerise picks up the bags and grabs the princess by the waist.

"Hold on tight."

Briar, who sits at the head of one of two cots the healers have brought in, Raven's skull cradled on her hands, tiredly surveys the exhausted Cerise and the wide-eyed Apple who is clutching the other in a death grip, mouth open in a silent scream.

"That took you longer than expected. I've already helped her to sleep and if there is nothing else I really need to go to bed. Cerise, do you want to crash in my room?" The brunet princess gingerly stood up, grabbing her water and medicine.

"I would really like that." Cerise smiled vulnerably. "Later Apple."

Apple gave a halfhearted wave at the closing door, flicking the light switch off and throwing the room into darkness the only light source coming from the moonlit window and the harsh glow of artificial light peeking from the gaps below the door.

Apple focuses on that special feeling she got from Raven's magic, her hands erupting in light.

The sleeping cots, Apple finds, are sturdy and when pushed flush against each other they could turn into a bed for two.

The princess almost desperately rearranges the unconscious witch so that they are both under one blanket and Raven is cuddled up in Apple's arms. The princess rests her chin gratefully atop of the witch's head breathing in the heady fragrance of cloves and bleeding rebel hearts.

The princess spends a long while contemplating her favorite witch and how a gruff hooded girl seemed to know more about the witch than the princess that lived with her.

Just how many truths about Raven was Apple missing?

The witch made a sleepy murmur hugging Apple around the waist like she was a teddy bear and nuzzling her nose to the princess's sternum.

Apple smiled fondly basking in silent victory that after so many years of absences and divided beliefs the witch and herself could finally be this close. That Raven was comfortable enough with Apple to be this close and now nothing had to stand between them.

Almost immediately after she thought it a niggling pang of jealously slithered its way to he forefront of Apple's mind.

Cerise had said that had Raven gone to a witch academy instead of Ever After High that other witches would be clamoring over each other to be as close to Raven as Apple was to her right now. Sure it would have been for… less platonic reasons and it was difficult imagining innocent little Raven seeing anything of the world in that light… but…

The princess couldn't help but wonder if maybe Raven would have had less problems being close to someone who… didn't try to force the witch into a fairytale she wanted no part in and to not care about Royals or Rebels at all.

Clutching Raven closer Apple wondered just how easily would Raven had fallen into another's arms if they had promised _her witch_ that they just wanted to see Raven equally, as a fellow witch…

And just how easily would Raven give up parts of herself to feel like a fellow or an equal with her own kind.

Apple shuddered, trying to focus her thoughts on the sleeping witch in her arms and that the only other witch at Ever After who could theoretically be considered Raven's equal was Faybelle Thorn, and that Faybelle Thorn was way too into herself and far too repulsive for Raven to ever willingly come within three feet of her.

Besides Apple consoled herself running her fingers through Raven's silky hair, even if Raven was just so adorably innocent she had Apple to watch her back.

And Apple would always watch out for Raven, after all she felt just as strongly for the witch as Cerise described the witch felt for her.


	6. The one with the favor

Author's note (skip if you want I don't mind)

Thank you for the reviews! They help out the progression of this story lots!

So, things in the past two weeks had gotten super monstrously busy so I was unable to edit and upload this chapter when I had wanted to, but hopefully I'll have more free time this summer to do this.

Things you should know, and will only make sense if you read the chapter:

1. There may be a ton of different Charming clans for the White family to marry into but I wanted to explore the possibility of those carefully regulated family marriages having to seek out distant relatives because… well there can only be so many Charming clans.

2. I brought in my OC Elenore Queen again just because I wanted things to get just a little more complicated and to highlight just how little Apple knows about Raven and also how Apple's assumptions of the world in general are now coming back to bite her.

3. Faybelle may be OOC? The only things that I know about her were what I could get off of various character profile websites, you guys in the comments, and that one websode on youtube. She seems like the kind of girl who always puts family first and thus my OC Charlotte was born, it seemed like a good excuse to create a viable threat that Apple would have to face. So maybe you guys can overlook any discrepancies for the sake of this story? Also who doesn't want to see Apple White lose her cool over a charming witch flirting with Raven in chapter seven?

Things are heating up I hope you enjoy!

XXX

The one with the favor

XXX

Raven put down the tins that she had been labeling, Hunter and Tiny had caught a mirrorcast of the leprechaun's last game and promptly beseeched Raven to make some more of her special healing balm (Raven wasn't too surprised to see the horror written across the boy's faces when they came by to ask her for that favor after all as a race of little people you didn't survive in a world filled with taller and often times very toothy beings unless you honed some forms of very effective defensive techniques).

In return they promised to owe Raven favors because they did feel guilty for asking so much from the busy witch; Raven had no idea what favors that she would cash in because at the moment she did not want anything and it was a rarity for her to ever need anything from others.

Ashlynn had seemed to draw an accurate conclusion based on this and gifted Raven with some sensible yet stylish outdoor boots and had informed the witch that she was to take the gift as payment for supplying her man and one of her friends with the first aid and was under no obligation to try to repay the princess for essentially paying the witch for her services.

However at that moment Raven was more concerned with the way Apple had ghosted in looking traumatized. The witch immediately rushed over to the other girl.

"Apple are you ok? What happened?" The witch brushed the princess's blonde hair away from her blushing face and cradled Apple's head in her hands.

Apple leaned appreciatively into Raven's touch almost moaning when the witch started to rub soothing circles into the skin behind her ear.

"Blondie had mentioned this morning that Cupid was going to give her an embarrassing talk about "loving oneself" and apparently Cerise had blabbed to Briar about what had happened three days ago because Briar had overheard and later today the two of them had ambushed me outside of the last class for today and dragged me into Blondie and Cupid's room." The princess grumbled with a blush radiating throughout her body.

Briar and Cerise had been very unsympathetic to Apple's embarrassed confusion, informing the blonde princess in no-nonsense tones that Apple could not go through life being so utterly oblivious to certain aspects of life just because it may be embarrassing or optionally unnecessary thanks to modern advancements.

It didn't help at all that the other princess and hooded girl had taken up guard of the balcony and dorm room door under the pretenses of being supportive and wanting to learn something new.

They had left Apple without an escape route. Traitors! The both of them!

"What happened three days ago? You mean the night when my magic flared up?" Raven asked still sounding concerned.

Apple moved to hide her face in Raven's shoulder not noticing when the witch drew in a deep breath to ease the ache in her chest. Briar's observations, although confusing, had at least opened up an understanding as to why some days it felt like the witch could not breathe after Apple was finished with hugging her. It hurt knowing that for Raven it was all just merely platonic and that someday not only will the kind affections stop, but be directed, in a very romantic way, towards someone else.

It felt like a constant struggle to balance the appreciation for what-already-is, and the understanding for the what-can-never-be.

The distraught princess muffled into Raven's shoulder. "I-I-I s-saw Maddie and K-Kitty… t-they w-were…"

"Ah." Raven understood. "Are you alright?"

Apple sighed moving her arms around Raven's back to embrace her more fully. "It was… shocking. I think that Cerise handled the situation very well even though I'm pretty sure that she is really annoyed with me right now."

Raven turned her head slightly, the witch's breath ghosting over Apple's ear causing the princess to shiver. "Why would she be annoyed at you?"

"Apparently my nanny didn't want me knowing to much about… t-that kind of stuff… I didn't know that people did that kind of thing outside of marriage and trying to have a baby I… I just thought that it was a gross thing that I'd never have to go through because I could get pregnant artificially and stay a good girl for the rest of my life." Apple sniffed feeling betrayed.

"A good girl?" Now Raven hugged the princess back, one hand petting the princess's hair while the other arm wrapped Apple around her waist and pulled her close. "Is this about your hair again? I already told you that you are the fairest person I know, just because your hair isn't as black as mine or your mother's doesn't make you any less inspiring than the original Snow White." Raven assured with conviction.

"But I can't be how I'm supposed to be, I don't match my story's description." Apple warbled in a soft voice.

"So?" Raven stated. "Aren't you the one who is always telling me that we don't have to follow our mother's footsteps hexactly? And besides if you ever got to meet your founding ancestor I hardly think that your beautifully fair blonde hair would be viewed as something negative in her eyes."

"You really think so?" Apple asked hesitant.

"I know so." Raven confirmed as if it were the absolute truth holding the princess close.

Apple smiled shakily from her spot, chin resting on the witch's linin covered shoulder and breathing in deep the scent of Raven's hair. "I still feel really embarrassed, I knew even less than Blondie! I-I-"

"Shhh, you weren't told all that much…? So I guess it would only be natural for you to feel in the dark about… did you say loving oneself?" Raven tried to comfort around the intrusive questions whirling around her head.

"I can almost feel the questions you really want to ask trying to come out." Apple sniffed almost good humoredly. "It's fine, you can ask."

Raven hesitated drawing back only enough to look the princess in the eye. "I will admit that I'm… curious as to the exact extent you were taught about "_that kind of stuff_" by your nanny, I mean what you were taught and what I was taught does seem to differ very drastically… However you seem to be traumatized enough as it is. I take it that Cupid didn't pull any punches with you guys."

"Loving yourself is very embarrassing." Apple whined. "And she gave all of us some really embarrassing things, that weren't all that embarrassing until she pointed out how to use it." The princess held up her purse and pulled out three offending objects. "I thought that the long skinny one was just a pretty wand until she showed us how it worked!"

Raven bit her lip in the valiant effort not to laugh, taking the glass dildo out of the princess's hand and making a big show of inspecting it to further hide her inappropriate humor.

The princess looked despairingly at the remaining egg vibrator and small bottle of personal lubricant still clutched in her hands. "No one can know that I have these! Oh this is so embarrassing!"

The witch sucked in a forceful deep breath trying to quell the giggles and focus on the issue at hand. "Well… how about we put those away in a clean soft cloth bag and we can store it some place where no one will accidentally come across them and if you ever get up the nerve to… be experimental…" Apple violently shook her head back and forth in the negative at that statement. "_If_" being the key word I suppose." Raven let loose a few giggles despite herself.

"But where?" Apple asked looking around. "All the places I use for storage my friends go through frequently to either borrow clothes or to help me put them away!"

Raven hesitated. "… Well I suppose, since I don't have to hide my scars from you anymore, we can store it in the same place where I used to hide my glamour cream."

Apple squashes down the temptation to pry, she knew that the witch had to have kept such a product somewhere secret, and that the witch had her reasons for desiring such extreme measures of privacy.

The logic however did not make the truth hurt any less, even though finding out this much about the witch was a major victory for the trust the princess was trying to instill in the witch and for their friendship, Apple strongly suspected that Raven was still hiding very important things from the princess _and that really hurt_.

Apple wanted desperately to be the person that Raven would run to when she was hurt or down, to be the person that the witch trusted all of her highly guarded secrets to.

It was an ugly feeling for a princess- for Apple herself to have but sometimes when Apple would see Raven and Maddie conversing in low, secret tones, and making inside jokes in riddleish she envied Maddie to the point where she lay awake in the middle of the night and wondered for several minutes too many that if she could not, _could never_, come to truly hate Raven for apparently just about anything… then maybe it would be easier to hate Maddie, for being that person Raven ran to when she was hurt or down, that one person whom Raven seemed to trust all of her secrets to.

And if she could convert all the hurt of not being Raven's special person into hate and just lay it all on Raven's actual special person then maybe Apple wouldn't feel so achingly hollow those times when her jealousy got the better of her.

But then Apple immediately brushed off such dark thoughts with an extra hard slap of guilt when she started to remember the times when Maddie would kindly offer her tea and some sage riddleish advice during school student council meetings that somehow made the most perplexing problems seem so simple, how the mad girl always kept a calm head in difficult situations while brightening up the mood at the same time, …and the fact that Raven never hugged Maddie the same way she hugged Apple, sure Apple may be the one to initiate the hugs most of the time but Raven never protested or tried to back away, in fact, Apple thought with pride, the witch was slowly beginning to return the embraces with just as much if not more vigor.

Maddie was apparently Raven's very first friend; in the end Apple didn't have the heart to despise someone who treated Raven so well and whom Raven cared about so very much…

No matter how much it pained Apple to think that during their elementary, junior high, heck even the first two years of high school! If she had just recognized that she had been scaring the witch with all of her talk about poisonings and being evil then maybe Raven wouldn't be so reluctant to tell her things.

…Maybe she and Raven could have been just as close as Raven was with Maddie.

The witch stood over her cleared desk and muttered an incantation over the wooden top; a cubbyhole appeared at the center where the quill blotter once took residence. After Raven took out the remaining glamour cream jars she lowered the cloth covered glass "wand" still trying not to giggle at the absurdity of it all.

"I guess I'll have to tweak the enchantment so that you can get in with just a password and without having to come to me in order to open this with magic." The witch hummed not even blinking when the princess pulled herself flush against the witch's back and handed the other the remaining two objects to be put away. Raven had to inhale deeply to smother out any remaining laughter as she placed those objects inside the bag with the "Wand" and sealed the desk back up.

"I don't think that's necessary." Apple held out a glowing hand for Raven's inspection. "I figured out how to do this much with some practice s-so maybe… you could teach me? Please?"

Speechless Raven took Apple's hand gently running her fingers over the other's wrist, palm, and fingers in fascination.

The witch paused Apple couldn't see Raven's expression but she knew that it was contemplative.

"Are you alright with this?" Raven whispered.

Apple wrapped her free arm around the witch's middle and snuggled as close as she could. "Yes I am." She murmured. "Your magic's warm Raven. It makes me happy."

The magic _was_ warm making Apple almost sigh in content, the magic was beautiful just like Raven, more importantly the magic was theirs alone to share. Raven may have her secrets to share with Maddie but Apple refused to let up her quest, no matter how many years it took, until the witch told her everything.

The magic would help with that, no one else in the multitude of existing realms shared with Raven what Apple had with her, the witch's magic thrummed inside the princess and she was determined to hold both the power and it's mistress dear inside her heart forever after if Apple had anything to say about it.

"Teach me." The princess stated knowing that the witch would not refuse.

Finally the witch nodded. "Alright… could you stand beside me?"

"Always." The princess promised, capturing one of Raven's arms and wrapping it around her waist, bringing the two closer.

For the next while the only sounds that came from the room was the witch's murmuring voice directing the other through the simple spells for opening and closing the secret cubby, and the princess's determined tones of pronouncing the words correctly while directing their magic through her body until she was successful at performing her very first spell.

XXX

Cerise breathed in deep the smell of the fairywood tree blossoms in their newly budding growth. The flowering tree always bloomed far later in the year than many other plants so while the surrounding area was awash with spring blooms the fairywoods were still spider-webbed branches with little nubs of green on the ends.

The head resting in the hooded girl's lap shifted and yawned, Briar looked quite comfortable for someone who was taking a nap on a bench.

"You have a restful nap?" Cerise asked with a small smile.

Briar stretched but made sure to keep her head right where it was. "Hmmm… yes, I believe I did. How long was I out for?"

"Little less than half an hour." Cerise shrugged watching the princess carefully.

Briar frowned looking up at the clear blue sky with unseeing eyes.

"I take it that isn't normal for you." Cerise translated.

"No it's not." Briar murmured. "So far in the past week since that demon Healer woman has been making me record my sleeping hours, I've been getting about eight hours during the night and averaging an hour or two nap during some of the more boring classes, lunch, and the afternoon."

"Sounds like a normal healthy teenager's sleeping schedule." Cerise commented.

"Sure does."

"But still not normal for you."

"Nope."

"Well damn."

Briar laughed at Cerise's crude remark. "At least I am getting _some_ restful sleep this past week thanks to a certain someone who has been nice enough to be my living teddy bear." The princess smiled gratefully up at said hooded teddy bear.

"As the teddy bear, I'm always glad that I can help out." Cerise smirked. "You can be downright terrifying when you are sleep deprived. I personally kind of find it very impressive as long as your ire is not directed at me."

"Yeah well you and Hopper should form a two person club on that one, seeing as only the two of you appear not to be completely frightened of me when I'm in that state." Briar laughed remembering how the little frog prince waxed poetically of how Briar was bravely smiting those who dared try to do harm to Raven Queen while unapologetically flaunting her strength and power of friendship.

"If I may…" Cerise hesitated. "Hopper seems to really like ya, and well… why aren't you accepting his many and frequent proposals to go out with him? I mean… I know that you are not going to sign the book if it is ever found so… why not take the chance?" The hooded girl asked, at Briar's thoughtful frown she hastily added; "I'm not in any way trying to sound like you should go out with him if you don't feel anything towards him or sound like of those…" Cerise hesitates again.

"Gossiping maidens?" Briar supplies, when Cerise winces the princess smiles a little humoredly. "Relax Cerise I know that is not your style, you are far too unimpressed by the "every maiden needs a hero" stereotype for me to ever be offended by that line of questions from you."

The hooded girl nods her head seriously, making a face at the mention of those Royal girls who seem to want nothing out of life than to be chained to any prince that they could lay their mitts on.

"You are right, I am not attracted to Hopper… or any boy for that matter." The princess whispers. "Actually, and I know that this sounds really bad, but I like Hopper better when he is a poetic little frog." Briar's voice is airy trying to be light but sounding pained instead.

"I thought that you found his frog form disgusting?" Cerise asked, trying to lighten up the mood by poking fun at the un-princess-like remark, but somehow feeling that her effort was in vain.

Briar manages a brave quirk of the lips. "That's partly princess training, but mostly it's because I'm trying to let him down easy, his story is that all the pretty princesses who see him are supposed to be grossed out by his frog form… I guess I'm foolishly hoping that a real nice girl will come around and like him for both forms and whisk him away."

"So your essentially stalling until you can't put off the final rejection." Cerise concluded.

Briar shifted uneasily. "Seeing that heartbroken expression on a little froggy face is not something that I want to see anytime soon, but the reality is that I can't see him as a human really, more like my little poetic amphibian friend… and _that_ is just too cruel for a guy who has a serious crush on me, so for his own good, I refuse to give him any hope."

"It sounds like you are just trying to be merciful rather than being mean." Cerise assured. "If it helps… I know what It's like to turn down a guy who you only see as a good friend."

Briar looks at Cerise, questions written across her confused face.

Cerise bit her lip. "Apparently Daring had really liked me." She states bluntly making Briar gasp. "It hit him hard that I wasn't attracted to him… and oddly enough most of that wasn't even manly pride… he just… really fell for me… you aren't the only one who had to break a really great guy's heart because you aren't attracted to boys Briar." Cerise tried to laugh it off but her smile was too tight-lipped and her laugh more like a hysterical bubble in the back of her pallet.

"How'd he take it?" Briar asked gently.

"Like a freaking Charming." Cerise huffed. "He was really, obviously hurt but I tried being as nice as I could while still being firm about things, he took it all with grace."

Cerise looked down to the grassy ground. "For a while… after Thronecomming and before his confession… he was my buddy. He would invite me to race him even though he knew that I could beat him, did one-on-one bookball games, riding dragons around bookends… I had no idea that he was just working up the courage to ask me out." The hooded girl stated mournfully.

"Let me guess… after you did the right thing by shooting him down, he wasn't your buddy anymore." Briar surmised feeling growing hot tendrils of anger towards the eldest Charming when Cerise numbly nodded. It all sounded a little too much like a scenario from one of those "wooing and chivalry" classes that the princes took.

The not-so-sleepy princess could just see the step by step guide in the text book; _"step one, take the maiden out somewhere fun, spend time with her, become her best friend, then once she realizes how much you have in common take things to step two, the romantic relationship." _Oh Briar could just strangle Daring's pretty little neck!

Briar had honestly never thought that she'd ever see a situation where a guy would string a girl along and make her happily think that they were forming a wonderful _friendship_, only to yank that all away and make her feel terrible for not returning the one-sided romantic feelings!

A _certain_ prince was gonna _pay_!

"We're still nice to each other…" Cerise sighed. "He actually seemed a little relieved that it wasn't another guy that I was attracted to but beings of the female persuasion. I think that it helped his ego a little bit knowing that it wasn't because he was a failure at being a Prince Charming."

_I'm sure it did_. Briar thought darkly.

She studied Cerise a moment, working up the courage to ask the girl about a theory that Briar had been speculating on as of late.

"It wasn't just that you're attracted to other girl's is it? You are attracted to a specific girl." Briar tried as gently as possible.

Cerise breathed. "Yes. Daring doesn't know. But… yes there is one girl that I…" The wolf child trailed off, finishing her statement with a confirming nod.

"It's Raven isn't it." Briar stated, not asked.

Cerise was only taken aback slightly before she nodded again. "Raven is my Alpha, my friend whom I can entrust my precious secrets to, she is… nothing less than a spectacularly beautiful and smart woman. I can't help but feel love for her." Her half wolf heart clenched painfully as she said it.

Briar took Cerise's hand and squeezed it lightly in her own.

"It's the same for you isn't it?" Cerise asked before she could think better of it. "How you feel for Apple?"

Briar sighed, laying her head back, playing with Cerise's fingers, and closing her eyes. "Yes." The princess proclaimed without shame. "Yep. You hit it right on the head."

"For what it's worth…" Cerise breathed her pained breaths in time with Briar's. "I am very sorry."

"Ditto." Briar smirked bitterly. "I think that the both of us are _very sorry_."

XXX

Cupid fidgeted nervously next to Dexter as the two were having their lunch alone.

All that night over a week ago when Cupid had that epiphany about Raven and when both Blondie and herself had discovered that the witch had a True Love bond with _Apple White_ of all people… Cupid was ashamed to say that Dexter had not entered her mind until lunchtime the next day.

Where her shocked stupor was broken sharply and she had suddenly realized with growing horror that what she had thought was a love triangle between Dexter, herself, and Raven was actually a love _line_, with Cupid having unrequited love for Dexter, Dexter having unrequited love for Raven, and Raven obviously enjoying being essentially married to Apple White and the two of them beginning (although cupid was only speculating) to explore a far more intimate relationship with each other, which might have already jumped that far from that talk Cupid had given the princess and her roommate (Briar and Cerise seemed to already know what she had been talking about so they didn't really count) two days ago because Apple was acting more and more lovey dovey towards Raven with each passing day and Raven was finding excuses to teach the princess magic charms to which they worked so closely together on like a newly married witch/mage couple in deep, deep lovey love!

Cupid took a moment to breath after such an extensive inner monologue.

Because Dexter had just told her that he was going to confess his feelings to Raven after the bookball game and she _needed to_ _focus_!

"Cupid? Are you alright?" Dexter asked concerned. "You look like you just saw the end of the world."

And it certainly would feel like the end of the world to the boy come Sunday…

"I'm just… worried about the leprechauns! And… you- you guys! The team and how well that they'll stand up to them! Because well, didn't you say that they'll come at you guys with clubs?" Cupid nervously improvised.

Dexter shrugged having long ago dismissing his friend's occasional nervous babble as one of her particular quirks. "But that's what I'm counting on!" He told her with a maniac grin.

Cupid cast him a worried look. "You're counting on being mauled by club wielding little people?"

Dexter blushed realizing how ridiculous that had just sounded. "No! I don't want to_ intentionally_ get hit! It's just that Raven is working at the first aid tent so when one of my _teammates_ gets hit I can help them over to the tent to both avoid getting hit myself and show Raven that although I am a nerd I can at least be a sensitive, dependable guy too."

"Oh Dexter." Cupid smiled dreamily. "You don't have to prove that you are a sensitive and caring guy. You already show that every single day and your nerdy-ness is very charming."

"Well I'm glad that you think so." Dexter sighed looking down despite the compliment. "But sometimes it's like Raven doesn't even see me, even more so now than ever. I-I just have to see if I even have a chance… even if I don't at least then I'll be able to have a definite answer once and for all, I don't want to leave here regretting that I never had the courage to tell her."

Cupid winced cursing the fact that she could not warn her friend that he indeed _did not_ have any scrap of a chance and he was about to come face to face with a very possessive Apple White. The princess's fierce no-tolerance policy towards that ever dwindling anti-Raven faction had become infamous around the school, making many think twice about jumping onto _that_ particular band wagon and others taking great pains to socially distance themselves from the group.

The possessive streak made sense to Cupid now, and she had to admit that Apple was very (super scarily) good at defending her beloved's honor; also the princess was proving to be increasingly more protective of Raven as of late and Cupid was beginning to wonder if that completely stemmed from Apple's very vocal belief that characters will disappear if they do not abide by their tales or if much of that was due to something of a much darker origin.

It wasn't a concrete theory but Cupid's instincts told her that the princess's almost crazed protectiveness was very much akin to a creature whose mate was either threatened, wounded, or both.

More importantly the winged girl recognized that the princess was certainly not in the right state of mind to be very understanding or negotiable no matter how innocent the intentions of the perceived outside threat may be.

Cupid looked to the left then to the right looking for any possible way any sort of plan of at least giving Dexter a ten second head start before a certain princess would surely come to rip him a new one for setting out to unknowingly take away what she considered hers.

"This Sunday I'm going to show her that I'm at least worth a chance… well maybe… if she feels at least a little interested… or pity. I can work with pity." Dexter mumbled into his food.

Maybe if she explained the situation Daring and Darling Charming could help her protect their brother and hopefully there would be no casualties.

From across the way Apple glared thunderously at Faybelle the leader of the infamous anti-Raven Queen extremist group and about six other Royals, who had been stalking towards Raven (who was minding her own business, taking her after lunch buddy-nap with Briar) with obvious intent.

Her fellow princess's reaction caused Briar to rouse, carefully not waking Raven who was passed out on her shoulder, cracking the knuckles on her right hand one handedly and pointedly nodding her head towards the disturbance of air circling around her fingers.

From another side of the room Ashlynn began humming a haunting melody, some unseen animal of unknown origin or species audibly scratching about in darkened corners and slithering under tables causing some startled yelps from other lunch room patrons.

The three Wonderlandians eyed the now unsettled approaching group with a shared cool mad gleam, looking every inch akin to their warring tribal ancestors.

Lizzie sliced an empty chair in half, Maddie and Kitty shared twin Cheshire grins.

About four of Faybelle's followers skittered away at this point, caught between keeping Briar and the Wonderlandians in their sights (all four of them had made it a habit of appearing in front of people from absolutely _nowhere_) and searching frightfully for the unknown _thing_ that was audibly scratching and growling from _somewhere_. The exact location of _where_ was the main concern as they quickly made their escape out of the cafeteria.

Faybelle let loose a low warning growl to her two remaining loyalists, the sound seemingly the only reason why they stayed, for some reason they were still marginally more terrified of the cheerleader than of everything else.

That was something Apple was determined to change, the princess pushed back her chair the screech of the metal legs on the laminated floor sounding like a war cry in the oppressive silence that filled the large room like a thick fog, then Apple did something that made the already captivated room gasp collectively in astonished shock.

Her body erupted violently in Raven's glowing white magic, her eyes a very clear blue and focused on the cheerleader with an intensity that made Faybelle's remaining two followers quake in their shoes.

When Apple stood, regally, slowly, like the queen she would one day become, those same two followers fled the room at a dead run.

Faybelle didn't acknowledge the fact that she had just been deserted, too busy staring at the blonde princess with wide flabbergasted eyes and mutely pointing to Apple's magical glow.

Apple smirked downright wickedly possessively taking the still unconscious Raven's hand in her own and openly reveling in how the magic covered them both, ebbing and flowing between the two of them for the entire world to see.

Despite the heavy silence that had not been broken throughout the duration thus far into the confrontation the princess's silent actions towards the slumbering witch roared the word; "MINE!" with an effect that had even the most half-wit fairytale character practically feeling the capital letters into their bones.

Faybelle was now interchangeably pointing to Apple and Raven looking floored as the information began to sink in; A witch's magic not only changing nature and color… but also bonding so strongly with another non-magical being? She had of coarse heard about the power of a witch's heart and all that jazz, but for a non-witch- a _non-magic-user_ to have the ability to wield another's power?

Now that- all of this actually was definitely unhexpected, the cheerleader internally mused, of all the unfathomable characters for Raven Queen to be coupled with it and it had to be the innocent little princess? It had to be the polar opposite goody two-shoes Snow White character to Raven's antagonist role?

This was beyond weird.

Despite herself Faybelle could not help but feel little pangs of pity for her witchy nemesis, the romance must be all sugar and clichés and no wicked kinky tricks or treats coming from the winey little princess. _If_ there even _was_ a romance knowing Apple White's not-so-secret, painfully limited expectations of life in general… and the fact that she was still waxing annoyingly on about princes and other such topics.

Dear gods Raven Queen must be bored out of her little skull!

Cerise began to feel a growing sense of panic the longer Faybelle eyed the glowing princess and witch… in fact, now that she looked around the cafeteria a lot of the characters that had some form of witch, fairy, or magical element in a fairytale were either shocked and blushing profusely or shocked and giving Raven looks of open pity (she was just guessing that they were looking at Raven seeing as how most of the pitying looks came from those who took the evil courses).

It was then that Raven decided to awaken.

"Apple?" The witch mumbled sleepily, startling half the room with the sudden return of sound. "Did something happen to upset you?" She found herself whispering, trying to give Faybelle a disapproving look while blinking away the sleep in her eyes.

"Y-your magic just acted up for a second!" Cerise jumped in looking desperately around at all the staring faces. "Why don't you take her out of here and do your witchy thing to get it to calm down?" She plastered on a grin that she hoped would convey the sentiment that Raven had to get Apple out of here _now_ before the irritated princess jumped across the table for the cheerleader's throat.

Unfortunately Raven did not take the hint and just stared feeling unnerved by Cerise's unnaturally wide grin.

"Ah yes, witchy things, witchy stuff, witchy business…" Faybelle spoke an evil little idea forming. Well since the winey princess had suddenly grown some backbone, who was Faybelle to turn away from the hexcellent opportunity to be completely evil and cause some discourse between the _"happy couple"_?

If this worked out at the very least she would end up highly amused and entertained, if her gut feeling was correct the oh so perfect Apple White would no doubt have to face some out-of-script feelings to freak out over, and… well she supposed that her cousin Charlotte could do a lot worse than having Raven Queen to flirt with, she highly doubted that Charlotte would ever lower herself to actually date or do anything serious with the other witch, that would just be too insane especially with the emotional condition she was currently in; but maybe if Charlotte got the chance to get her groove back and spend some quality time with someone she admired, perhaps her dearest cousin would finally stop crying to her about how she had just got dumped by the "love of her life" and _move the hell on_.

"What are you trying to pull Faybelle?" Raven growled.

Faybelle smiled charmingly, yes, she thought to herself, the potential fruit to be born from this impromptu scheme outweighed the fact that this was _Raven Queen _she was trying to introduce to a blood relative. "No pulling on anything this time Raven, no, I just wanted to ask for you to donate your free time in helping the cheer squad with the visiting students from _Hathor Witch Academy_, seeing as how they will be coming here mostly because of you; to study how a change in one's magic color can effect the nature of said magic."

"They are coming here to what?" Apple screeched much to Faybelle's pleasure.

"Oh I was going to tell you later tonight when I had more details, Professor Baba Yaga's associates in the Grand Coven want to try to give their young witches-in-training a chance to see the fairytale side of our world up close and personal and due to my condition… apparently it gives them the perfect excuse to make a week-long trip to Ever After High." Raven explained nonchalantly, still eyeing Faybelle suspiciously and thus missing the look of pure murderous rage on the princess's face.

Faybelle quirked an eyebrow, was that… jealousy she was seeing in the princess?

How hexcellently delightful.

"Actually a cousin of mine is going to be arriving early, on the day of the bookball game to be precise, and since she is aspiring to become a healer one day she is very keen to meet you." Faybelle made sure to sound board and a little put upon as she talked, she couldn't have Raven getting suspicious quite yet.

"Wait, I thought that you were an Evil Fairy?" Raven asked blinking in confusion, beside her Apple seethed remembering her own inner thoughts from a few nights prior.

Faybelle shrugged looking at her nails. "A few of my ancestors mated with a witch or warlock at some point or another, my particular species of fairy being such close allies with you witches and all, it was bound to happen."

Raven nodded accepting the explanation as truth.

Faybelle continued still looking bordely at her nails. "She, my cousin, just wanted me to see, _these are her words not mine remember that_, if she would be so blessed as to have a pretty kindred sacred flame accompany her in a private tour around the school and to perhaps speak of what said pretty flame had to say about the new plant that's been popping up all over the school grounds and other witchy philosophies."

"W-well I-I guess that there is no harm in that…" Raven blushed at Faybelle's use of the word "flame" and "pretty" both words of flirtatious witchy praise that she was unaccustomed to.

Well it couldn't hurt really; after all, Raven admitted reluctantly to herself, she couldn't very well spend the rest of her ever after pining for Apple!

It wasn't like Apple could ever return Raven's feelings, and even if her potential relationship with this mysterious flirtatious stranger turned out to just become another platonic friend, at least Raven would be making some strides to lessen the pain of never being able to be _with_ her One True Love in a romantic capacity. It was for the best even if it came in the form of a shady request from Faybelle.

While Raven was thinking the request over she failed to see Apple positively fuming at the thought of some broom-riding floozy having a "private tour" with Raven, the thought of her sweet dear friend being seduced by this unnamed harpy, a harpy that was _related to Faybelle Thorn of all the cursed people_, made Apple's blood boil.

The princess set her sights on the smug evil fairy, who had the nerve to give the blonde a conspiring wink, and if it weren't for Lizzie coming up behind her and restraining her mid-lunge the cheerleader would have found herself very preoccupied with a very irritated Apple White.

Raven, somehow completely oblivious to what was happening beside her, eyed Faybelle intently. "No tricks? No underlying schemes? Just a simple matter of being a good host to a student from another school?"

Well that just about answered Faybelle's theory of how Apple White was treating Raven in their relationship; Faybelle was guessing the fair princess was either stringing the witch along or was completely in denial. There was no way Raven, an absolute failure at being an evil character witch or not, would stand to be trapped in a figurative cage by some winey princess's insecurities, no self respecting witch, failure or not, would.

"I assure you Raven that my cousin Charlotte is just too disgustingly charming to fair maiden witches to knowingly go along with any of my schemes and tricks. The only reason why I am coming to you in the first place is because my dear cousin specifically asked if I could persuade you to meet her." Faybelle made certain to sound flippant, it was a half-truth though; her cousin was disgustingly enchanted by the rumors of the great Rebel leader Raven Queen, and Charlotte would pitch a fit if she ever found out that she was used in one of her evil little schemes.

"How would this cousin of yours know anything about Raven huh?" Apple growled out still being held back.

At this Faybelle did not have to fabricate her disgust. "Little Raven and her little band of Rebels have caused quite the scandal. Amongst the witch community in particular she seems to have gathered quite the fan base." The sting (and it really was painful to say) of admitting that particular fact was soothed over by the balm of watching Apple White turn from a curious shade of red to a distressing rate of paling to become as white as… well snow.

"First sign of trickery and I'm out." Raven declared no-nonsense bleeding through her voice.

"Glad to hear it." Faybelle internally cackled with anticipation even as she outwardly sounded pained at the prospect. That done she promptly walked away casting a brief smug _look_ and a _wink_ to a glowing Apple over her shoulder.

"We need to talk." Apple took Raven by the hand and dragged the confused witch out of sight before Raven had a chance to comprehend what had just happened.

As the cafeteria was filled with the murmurs of astonished students Cupid let out a shaky breath. Obviously Apple was more possessive towards Raven than she had first thought.

"Did you just see that?" Cupid asked the boy beside her. "Look… Dexter I know that you are psyching yourself up for Sunday but for your own safety I really don't think that your plan is such a good idea."

At the lack of response the winged girl turned to her friend and blanched at the sight of Dexter listening to music on his mirrorphone, silently doing a seated little jig as he looked at his screen intently.

Cupid peered over his shoulder, immediately recognizing the electronic page of the textbook on _"How to be Charming, and Wooing Young Maidens for Dummies"_ the section he was reading dealing with sweeping a maiden off her feet at the first confession.

Cupid for a lack of anything better to do in the current situation, wacked the boy in the arm. Hard.

"Oww, what? Cupid?" Dexter flinched back.

"Are you seriously going to tell me that you missed all of that?" The girl was almost panicking; Dexter had no idea how closely he was trying to play with certain pain and disfigurement.

"I missed something?" The boy looked widely around, expression visibly dropping when he saw that his crush had left the room, but morphing into a choked inhale of panic when his gaze scanned the table where Ashlynn was sitting, calmly eating her salad while petting a purring dragon of the infamously vicious serpent variety. The vicious creature laid its head as if boneless on the table and utterly basked in the attention of its mistress, completely ignoring the panicked whispers and scootching chairs of nearby tables.

"I-is that a-" Dexter couldn't finish so he just wordlessly pointed fearfully at the scene.

Cupid turned to look; while her reaction was surprised it was far more laid back. She noted that Hunter was lavishing Ashlynn with praise and not batting an eye at their table guest so she figured that for the moment all was safe.

"I guess she felt like showing off." The winged girl mumbled, looking a little miserably at how Hunter seemed to care of nothing else save snuggling near Ashlynn and continuing to praise her skills with animals.

Cupid sighed despairingly Dexter wasn't the only one who felt invisible.

XXX

"I don't see why you're treating this like some sort of giant conspiracy. I'll only be acting as a tour guide, and besides the Grand Coven probably had to go through a lot of red tape in order to get the Headmaster to even agree to this." The witch stated as she helped the princess tie her belt in a decorative knot at the small of her back, the belt was canary yellow to accentuate the yellow origami crane design of the yukata.

Apple huffed cursing the fact that the warning bell had rung before she even had a chance to convince Raven that backing out of Faybelle's "favor" was in the best interests for the witch but now, several hours later after classes were over, had given Raven ample time to internally convince herself to stick to her commitment. Raven had proven to be very stubbornly un-swayed by Apple's very valid (at least as far as Apple was concerned) reasons for not going through with something that was obviously an evil trick put forth for Faybelle's amusement.

Granted Apple's arguments might've held more water if she had properly explained her fears of Raven being seduced and used for non-innocent activities by the visiting witchy "guests" but then again Apple had plenty of time in the hours since lunch to properly predict that Raven would not be very keen to her fellow witches and as an extension, herself being accused as such indecent individuals universally.

"I just… really don't want you to get hurt Raven." Apple admitted vividly recalling the way Faybelle had given her that smug smirk as she had walked away, looking like she had just won a battle that Apple had not known she had been fighting.

Normally Raven would have argued further but the raw emotion in the other's tone made her pause.

"I'm not going into this without a fair amount of caution." Raven tried to gently put the other's worries to rest, hesitating for a moment and stamping down the constricting instinct to flee, wrapped her arms around the princess pulling herself flush against Apple's back, ignoring the knot from the tie-on belt poking her in the belly, the effect of her touch immediately making Apple relax slightly.

"Look, I know that Faybelle is probably planning something sinister, and to be honest I am… terrified that as soon as the visiting witches take one look at me they'll run away screaming… but I'm willing to risk that because… well because… it might be nice… meeting others who aren't…" Raven petered out sounding small and lost.

"Who aren't destined to be evil or terrified of your heritage?" Apple made a helpless face realizing unhappily that there was really no swaying the witch in this situation.

Raven hid her face in Apple's hair. "It would also be nice to… for once not be in the middle of the whole Rebel vs. Royal conflict… I-I mean they aren't descended from fairytale characters so it's not all about worrying whether talking to me could be seen as them picking a side… or at least I think they aren't related to fairytale characters… or to me for that matter…" the witch trailed off in a mumble.

Apple blinked peering at a mumbling Raven over her shoulder. "You don't _think_ that they're related to you? What do you mean by that?"

Raven hummed resting her chin speculatively on Apple's shoulder. "Well I kind of figure that I have a few former Evil Queen many times great grandmothers hiding in the ranks of the Grand Coven, but they've probably changed their names and appearances so it's difficult to tell. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if I had crossed paths with my own grandmother and not known… but then again I haven't a clue as to what she looks like so I guess it wouldn't be difficult for her to just pass off as another witch."

Apple shook her head not understanding. "Raven what are you talking about? Are you saying that you don't know your own grandmother?"

"You don't know?" Raven asked the princess.

"Don't know what?" Apple stepped back to look Raven in the eye.

Raven scratched her head. "Well in my family it's pretty rare for a witchling to meet their maternal grandmother on the Evil Queen side of the family. According to the records kept at the Queen manor as soon as there is another Evil Queen to take up the mantle the former takes any evidence of their former life, any younger witchlings that they had loomed, and just go off to disappear." Raven shrugged. "Witches live a pretty long time and over that life-time they can loom quite a few witchlings… so there has to be a pretty high probability that I'll come face to face with a relative next week… even if I don't know it."

Apple looked appalled. "But I thought that your family kept a family tree, like mine does!" And that family tree was very important to the White family, after all somebody had to keep track of all the Charming families that married into the line. It just wouldn't do to marry your brother or first cousin! Well not anymore… it was a good thing that someone had caught onto that whole inbreeding debacle early on or the tale of Snow White would have been in serious danger.

And it was thanks to those records that ensured that Daring was related distantly enough from her to not cause any horrible genetic defects to their future daughter.

Again Raven shrugged. "That's more of an account of first loomed witchlings really, it's just a list of birth dates and names, there's no death dates or mentions of siblings being born so it's all just… for show."

"So you don't even have a burial plot?" Apple guessed, still sounding very appalled, suddenly all of those well meaning offers by those few more lenient Royals or the droves of loyal Rebels to give Raven a decent burial plot seemed sickenly necessary now. Not that any of those offers would be needed Apple was going to make sure that she would do everything she could to ensure that Raven did not disappear.

However if worse came to worse Raven probably had rights to be in her father's family plot and if not Apple would make certain that Raven got the marble coffin right beside her own designated one. Daring had already decided to be laid to rest in his family's plot so it was really no problem.

It was then that Apple realized just who was supposed to be using another empty coffin as kindly offered by her grandmother. Elenore Queen was to be laid to rest, if her body was ever found, in the coffin to the other side of Apple's mother's designated spot.

Horror dawned on Apple's face.

"No?" Raven began inching away from the others outrage, feeling very confused as to why Apple was freaking out about this.

The princess couldn't believe it, Raven didn't even know who her own grandmother was? Elenore Queen was certainly well known in the White family, having served as the Evil Queen for her grandmother and being the midwife for two generations of both the White family and her father's Charming clan, that included _her own birth_… some of Apple's earliest memories was of the woman sneaking her sweets, telling her fantastical stories, and making those icky brussel sprouts taste like kiwis!

And Raven didn't know her? Did not know who she was? What could have possibly stopped the very woman whom Apple had always viewed as fearless and like a second mother even now, from going to her own flesh and blood?

…Well maybe she did have a reason; Elenore always had reason behind all of her decisions.

But how could… Apple just always assumed that Raven just… knew whom her grandmother was and… how was it possible for this subject to go unspoken for so long?

"There was no one to tell you your family history? What your passed ancestors were like?" Apple croaked eyes misting over.

Raven looked away biting her lip. "No I was… they found me on the doorstep of my father's family estate with nothing but a note and a blanket to keep the cold snow at bay."

"Snow? She left you out in the snow?" The princess squawked reminding Raven of a very irate phoenix.

"They found me quick enough." Raven assured, even though her paternal grandmother, if she ever had the chance to meet Apple, would no doubt gleefully rile the girl up by mentioning the teeny tiny fact that the cold had been enough to cause her tiny self to fall into a sound sleep making the household think that she had died for a few scary minutes before Mage Sasha and her grandmother had stepped forward to actually take her vitals. Her father still waxed despairingly of how his own mother had wacked him silly with a spoon ladle and quite unsympathetically informed him that he could stop crying now because the baby was alive, he was a father, and that he needed to go and stock up on diapers and formula like ten minutes ago!

Apple ran her hand over her face harshly. "I just realized; I have no idea when your birthday is. _I never asked_ when your birthday is." Her voice was muffled but it still sounded guilty.

"Neither do I, I was estimated to have been two, maybe three hours old, so that meant that I was born either before or after midnight on the Solstice. And I don't make it a habit to tell people when my birthday is so if you had asked me before… I honestly don't know what I would have told you… no one could decide on which day should be my birthday so I got gifts on Solstice Eve and Day, my father usually stayed up with me till midnight every year and threw me a little party. I was a natural night owl I stayed in the waking-moon-phase of development for a long time, a lot longer than most witchlings tend to be, so it was always a treat to have my father be awake at the same time I was." Raven cupped Apple's shoulder trying to distract the other with tales of happier times.

"At Ever After High I can't see my father until summer vacation due to safety and reputation reasons, but he always risks a mirror-chat at midnight while I stay at the Hatter's place, Maddie always tries to stay up long enough but she and her father always fall asleep so we just end up having cake and tea in the late evening, a talk with my father while everyone else is sleeping, and presents in the morning."

Apple dropped her hand listening to the witch intently, relishing in the rare gift of hearing the witch's childhood stories. "That's very sweet, what a nice way to celebrate- wait." The princess paused tensing up. "Did you just say that you were_ left out in the snow, at night, on the darkest day of the year_?"

Raven winced offering up an apologetic smile and a shrug, so much for distracting Apple… "They found me pretty quickly?"

"Where's that blanket you were packing around last winter?" The princess determinately took Raven's hand and after a moment's thought dragged the witch to her own bed and deposited the girl onto an apple red satin comforter.

"Curl up under the covers, I am getting that blanket." Apple ordered.

"Apple…? Why am I… in… your bed?" Raven asked worriedly wondering what odd mood the princess was in at the moment.

"You look cold." The princess stated simply, holding up the desired blanket like a war trophy. "You are staying with me for the night until I am satisfied that you won't freeze."

The witch eyed the princess warily. "I have no say in this do I?"

"Nope!" Apple declared marching back over. "Just so you know, I am definitely going to find a way to celebrate both days of your birth with you next year and I have every intention of spoiling you rotten to boot."

"It's not even supper time." Raven protested, but she allowed herself to be situated to the princess's liking regardless.

"Then we'll just order in." Apple huffed snaking an arm around the witch in order to cradle Raven to her side. "I'll ask one of the girls for a favor and see if they'd be willing to bring us some dinner-in-bed food."

Raven finally gave up any attempt at dissuading the other, she focused on just breathing for a while, trying not to let her feelings or the clenching ache of what can never be out to her face where the princess could pick up on them.

Apple had no idea just how much this was affecting her, being this close, being held like a lover… but at the same time not being loved like one… because to the princess Raven was nothing more than a friend, and it was okay for just friends to do things like cuddle in bed…

If anything was going to kill her it would be due to her heart just giving out from the weight of all the unspoken confessions and unrequited feelings crushing it to a stop.

"I did not mean to upset you." Raven whispered into Apple's shoulder.

"There is nothing for you to apologize for." The princess turned to hold the witch more fully. "I may be upset but every thing you tell me whether it be about your past or a secret, it's all very precious to me Raven. It's precious because they are yours and you are the one who is telling me these things."

Raven didn't know what to feel so she just buried her face into the princess's clavicle and clung onto the fabric of the other's yukata.

Apple inhaled steeling herself, Raven deserved to know about Elenore and there was probably no better time to tell her… even though Raven might be hurt, at least she'd know about her grandmother and that not all Evil Queens were like her mother.

"I've met your grandmother." She whispered to the canopy not moving her gaze even as she felt Raven shift to look up at her sharply. "She was very well liked by my family, we kind of adopted her in as an honorary White I guess you could say. I… I do not know why she had never tried to find you... no- well maybe I can guess, but I can say for certain that you definitely inherited all the good from her. She is the reason why I had always ran after you when we were small, you are sweet and kind and a little wicked in all the right ways just like her. She… she was larger than life, unreachable in a way, so when I first saw you, watched you, I wanted to hold you close and never let go. You were so much like her… and yet you were touchable, reachable, perfect in every way because of that."

As she listened Raven became very still, not knowing what to do, what to feel. The news was so sudden that Raven's mind felt blank.

"She would have wanted to meet you if she could." Apple assured. "I don't know for sure what would have stopped her from finding you but believe me Raven; she always had her reasons."

Raven stays silent, but she does give Apple a little squeeze around the princess's middle to let her know that she could continue; the movement prompts Apple to release a breath in relief. Raven was staying to listen; she was not going to run away for the time being.

"You would have known her if you saw her though." Apple continued after a long moment, running her fingers through Raven's hair and eyeing the tresses appreciatively as they slipped through her fingers. "She looked just like you do now but she had these really pretty red streaks cutting through her black hair."

That was when Raven convulsed as if she were struck by lightning, a horrified sound ripping from her throat as she pulled herself even closer to Apple.

"Raven?" Alarmed the princess pulled back the covers to expose the burrowing witch to her searching gaze.

"Bl-blue… blue dress…" Raven gasped clinging to the princess in an effort to ground herself from the on slot of memories. "The hair like mine b-but with the r-red a-and… she had eyes, they were darker than mine!"

"So you have met her?" The princess gently tries rubbing the witch's back in soothing motions.

Tears well up in Raven's eyes, oh she remembered all right. "Did… did you ever see her again? Af-after the Evil Q-Qu-Queen…?"

Sinking dread settled heavily at the bottom of Apple's gut, how could Raven have possibly known about _that_ unless... "The last time I had seen her was when she… she had gone to try and stop _her_… she never returned so… even though there was no body we assumed… Raven, please tell me what you remember." Apple pleaded, already drawing a guess as to what had probably gone down.

"Tried to… tried to save. Me. Tried to save me." Raven managed finally breaking down into broken sobs. The memory _of the woman_ _with her face and the smell of sweets and hearth taking her into those strong arms and almost making it to freedom, only to be thwarted and the last of that woman that Raven remembered before pain had caused her to blackout was that familiar purple glow of magic, and the horrifying feeling of helplessness when she woke back up in that hell and the Evil Queen muttering to herself while wiping away sticky crimson liquid from her hands…_

_There had been so much blood_.

Apple held the witch, crying only slightly at the confirmation of what her family had feared for so long, it hurt but the princess had stopped holding out hope for the older witch's return years ago.

In all honesty finally getting that long confirmation was more of a relief than anything else.

So the princess covered her witch back up with the covers and blanket, holding Raven dearly while the witch cried herself to sleep.

In the following silence broken only by Raven's occasional tired hiccupping, Apple held the witch close, moving the other's robe so that it opened enough for Apple to view the scars that lay scattered on Raven's bare chest. Apple really felt out of her depth now that she looked at the entire situation as a whole.

Raven had endured a lot, more than anyone her age should have had to; everyone had been affected by the Evil Queen and her quest to destroy their world but Raven had been the one left with the burden of someone else's sins.

Not many ran away from Faybelle even though she was evilly mischievous, and not many of the other evil characters had people running away from them left and right. Ginger Breadhouse actually had almost as many people running away from her as Raven but… well… it was kind of difficult not to run from a future cannibal. Apple winced; remembering the long lecture Raven had thrown at her citing Apple's own words of how future characters do not have to follow their ancestors exactly and the fact that Apple seemed to be very comfortable living with the daughter of a monster. That had been one argument where Apple admittedly had not performed very… diplomatically, Raven had obviously been more hurt by Apple's usual _"but Raven you are supposed to be my evil villain and poison me" _because Raven had gone quiet and silently gathered her things to spend the night in somebody else's dorm.

Raven had retuned the next day, after Apple had bought a ton of Ginger's sweets and was sitting at her desk stuffing her face, Raven had said nothing as she smugly put her things away and stole a cookie from Apple's grasp.

Back then Apple had not understood why Raven had reacted the way she had, why Raven always lashed out or looked so hurt when Apple called her evil; but now… now Apple was beginning to wonder just how often she'd try to convince Raven to be evil so that Raven could turn into her grandmother. How many times did Apple half hope that Raven would turn around and there would be Elenore, smelling of sweets and laughing as she tickled Apple hello? How often did Apple ignore Raven's obvious discomfort just so that maybe, if Apple willed it hard enough Raven would play both the villain and the prince in a game of pretend, giving Apple a little candied fruit to eat and pretend it was poisoned, then kissing the tip of her nose to wake Apple up?

Tears of shame leaked from Apple's eyes.

Raven was not the replacement for a ghost. She was Raven, in all of her kind, stubborn… beautiful glory.

And Apple herself grew to care for Raven differently than Elenore, it could just be because Elenore had disappeared while Apple was still very young but… if possible Apple had grown feelings for Raven that ran deeper than the ones she still carried for Elenore.

When had Apple stopped looking for Elenore in Raven and started to want Raven, just Raven to give her a smile and blabber incessantly about some witchy topic or to look Apple in the eye with that determined gaze which never ceased to make Apple's heart flutter and her knees weak?

Between the grief of finally getting an answer as to what had happened to one of Apple's heroes and the heavy weight of Raven's past coupled with her condition, Sunday, Faybelle's schemes, the Evil Queen… Apple had a feeling that she would not be getting much sleep for a while.

Despite her prediction, when Maddie and Briar turned up to check in on where the witch and princess had been all afternoon they found Apple and Raven holding one another through bitter dreamless sleep.

XXX

"What's the catch?" Charlotte's voice wearily asked.

Faybelle feigned innocence as she propped her mirrorphone against a wall. "Now cousin, is that any way to speak to someone who has so kindly set this all up?"

"When that someone is you? Yes. You despise Raven Queen." Charlotte pointed out.

"That… well I do admit that Raven Queen is not my favorite person in the world but… let's just say something happened recently that convinced me that she is… no longer a threat to my story." The fairy shrugged a little uncomfortably.

Charlotte raised a brow. "Even more convincing than magical color change and a changed destiny?"

"The Headmaster here has been known to lie about the truth of destinies." Faybelle defended. "I just had to see for myself whether all of this grief over Raven Queen being completely incapable of going through with her destiny was the truth or not."

"_And_…" Charlotte prompted.

"_And_…" Faybelle begins picking her words carefully. "Since Raven Queen seems to have gotten herself into an _impossible_ _situation_ and since you seem to have this… "_Infatuation_" with her I just figured that you could do worse. I mean how long are you going to pine for that wretched human girl who so gleefully broke your heart?"

Charlotte is silent for a while, studying the fairy intently.

"And what do you get out of this? I find it hard to believe that you would be so willing to set me up with the witch that, no longer than yesterday you had been ranting on with paranoid conspiracy theories of how Raven Queen was going to take away your family right the moment when you least expected it."

Faybelle put on her most fake grin and winked at her cousin. "Oh cousin dear how could you possibly think that I have anything to gain?"

"Your lucky that I know you are a better actor so I'll just ignore that disturbing thing you just did with your face and wait patiently for the truth." The witch stated serenely.

Faybelle gave up with a chuckle. "Yes well I will admit that my intentions are less than innocent but do not fret, I am not knowingly dragging you into anything that will end up with you getting hurt, Raven Queen is just volunteering to be a tour guide, and there is no "setting up" as you are putting it. You are far too smart to let yourself be dragged into another relationship while you are still hurting; however you seriously need to get your groove back and a bit of flirting, even if it's with Raven Queen, will do you some good. Hex, I wouldn't even be _considering_ this if I didn't think that it would be helpful to you…" Faybelle paused looking to the side with a genuine grimace.

"I am trying very hard not to contemplate the fact that this actually might be helping Raven too." Faybelle admitted with a shudder, if it were anyone else the fairy would rather dance on hot coals than admit the last part but Charlotte was family and family pride was worth a lot more than her personal pride.

Charlotte's eyebrows went up so high they flirted with her hairline. "That really hurt you to admit didn't it."

"Yesss." Faybelle hissed wincing. "But the combination between your future happiness and the amusing situation that is certain to follow will hopefully be worth doing anything unintentionally nice for Raven Queen."

Charlotte studied her cousin for a long while.

"First sign of trickery and I'm out." The witch declared sternly.

"Déjà vu." Faybelle mumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing. I'll see you soon, travel safe."


	7. The one with a new witch

Author's notes (skip if you want, stay if you please)

So this chapter was going to be a lot longer (like seventy pages!) but… it was just starting to stretch out way too long for my tastes and so instead of making you guys wait for just one colossal chapter I decided to cut it in half so with hope I can self edit the half that I'm still working on and provide you guys with another chapter quicker (although just to be safe don't hold our breath on that… no seriously don't hold your breath for that long it's bad for you!).

So in this chapter;

To begin with I wanted to show a little bit of Apple waging a little war with herself, the Queen Mage/Knight half doing battle with the Royal/Princess Snow White half, if you will. Obviously she won't be conscious of this internal battle but to the outside observer it will be more obvious because she will constantly be switching between the starry eyed princess and the intelligent future queen and since both halves are so ingrained into her personality the switch can seem neck breaking at times (I might make a joke of it, maybe having Cerise analyze Apple's eyes: if it's all sparkles and innocence, that's the princess; clear and cunning, there's the queen).

I needed to write a little bit about Daring so he gets a heart to heart with Raven and shows a bit of his kind side, and a bit of all of that royal training. I'm sure that they don't want to send an idiot to be a future ruler, so I made him with some brains.

Dexter… well I decided to make him basically the embodiment of a lot of boys that I have not only observed over the years, but to be a platonic friend with one of them (think me as Blondie or Darling/Daring in that situation). It's a common occurrence that transpires when a guy first falls for someone, a sort of uncomfortable experience that lots of boys have to get through in order to grow up.

My personal Dexter was a fantastic friend, and he may have been geeky but he could be a great conversationalist; unfortunately all of those great qualities go down the drain the moment he got a crush on somebody…

If you're just a platonic friend or sibling (like me) it sucks because he begins to act like a total stranger, all self-centered and obsessed while he is after the girl/with the girl, or in a constant obsessed tantrum if does not get the girl/gets dumped by the girl, and for a short to long period time he can act like a real jerk until he is gets over himself for not getting what he wants.

If you are his friend with a secret crush on him (like Cupid it sucks because then it's the entire previous bullet with the added heartache of having feelings for the guy. I feel for anyone who has had to deal with that.

If you are his girlfriend it really starts to suck when the first few dates have passed and he suddenly gets way too excited about dating you. I have heard the complaints of girls who's dates have brought up the topics of who was going to follow who into collage, sex, asking them to go to a family outing/vacation/holiday party, what they should name their kids, what future life that they would live… all on the third to seventh date… no I am not exaggerating, I (along with a lot of these girls who were unloading their complaints to me) even made a chart (my idiot friend proposed marriage to this girl on the first date. It was little surprise, to me at least, when she clocked him one)!

If you are his friend and he has a crush on you and you don't see him that way is sucks big time because even though you have that heartfelt talk where it's all; "sure we can still be friends. No I don't need some space let's just hang out" he stops being your friend and starts to act like a real creep who is always ticked off at you for even talking to somebody that is not him.

If you are that girl who is not interested in dating him (aka all the proud lesbians on the planet and the girls with wicked creeper radar) it only sucks when he decides to wake you up in the middle of the night on a weekday to sing you a serenade on your front lawn (no seriously it did happen once, his unique arrest by the police was in the papers and everything), because although creepy and delusional this type of admirer will mostly disappear from your life in a trail of "why me's" and more likely than not you will never even know that he had a crush on you in the first place (or know that he even existed, that can happen too).

Now I just want to make it clear that I don't dislike Dexter enough to make a complete ass out of himself, eventually I do plan to make him grow up a little (like most of the mentioned guys, including my friend, did) and have far better luck the second time around (now that the short, sharp life lesson of _what not to do_ is over and done with).

The question is whether or not he should do it in time to finally see Cupid for the potential perfect girlfriend she could be… or have her be swept away by someone else…

I'll let that be up to you guys since I am getting a lot of Dexter x Cupid, Cupid x Blondie, Cupid x Humphrey (a friend of mine suggested this rare ship), but in the end I think that I'll just go through the comments and count up what you the readers want to see, so for the last chapter I'll give a big hint at something (a kiss maybe) and do a side story for it later.

Sorry for the long author's note (I felt like ranting) but do please tell me what you think in the comments and I hope that you enjoy this chapter.

XXX

The one with a new witch and a Royal's guilt

XXX

Raven had at least been right about how Ever After High's early witchy guest would not be as bad as Apple was suspecting.

No, the arrival of Charlotte Thorn was not at all like what Apple had been expecting at all.

It was worse.

She arrived on a sleek cherry red motorbroom with aerodynamic design and sunset yellow magic bristles flowing behind like streams of water. She had arrived early, too early for Apple's liking because if the newcomer had just arrived on time or fashionably late like any other sane being then Apple would have already been able to travel from the cafeteria to Raven's side no problem. It was the least this _Charlotte_ could have done after all it was because of this new witch that Apple had a turbulent sleep the previous night and had thus slept through her alarm.

Any other weekend Apple would have been thrilled that Raven, ever thoughtful Raven, had shut off her noisy alarm after the fifth or sixth time it rang and given her some extra time to sleep but because of _Charlotte_ Apple couldn't even enjoy that simple pleasure.

Really how troublesome.

Apple began to make her way towards the scene when the newly arrived witch set down in front of Raven, the Headmaster, and Faybelle, she was going to offer Raven some support (to scare off any threats) and properly thank Faybelle for offering Raven such an opportunity (by pushing her into a bug zapper).

"Where do you think you're going?" Briar gripped the back of Apple's jacket and yanked the other princess to sprawl haphazardly behind a tree and a decorative bush.

Apple had barely managed a yelped protest when her supposed BFFA roughly (and very rudely) covered the blonde's swearing mouth with her hand and hissed; "What the heck do you think you are doing?"

"What do _you _think _you_ are doing?" The blonde growled back in the same low tone.

The brunette princess was not fazed by her friend's harsh tone. "Saving you from making a complete possessive fool out of yourself in front of Raven that's what I'm doing." Briar growled back. "You can't just march on over there and cause a bunch of havoc just because you don't trust that Faybelle isn't planning something devious towards Raven."

"Oh yes I can!" Apple whispered loudly without really thinking her response through.

"No you can't." Briar was unrelenting. "Apple, Raven isn't someone that you can lock away into a mirror or order around with a smile, she's _Raven._ Ya know the girl who was brave enough to _not_ sign the Book, _stand up_ to the Royals, stand up to _you_; don't you think that she can handle whatever's coming?"

Apple actually paused before shaking her head as if to shake off the other's reasoning. "But no one has tried to attack her through her heart before, sure Raven is resilient but she is also really stubborn about doing things that could harm her… she might have gotten lucky and bought herself some time by not signing the Book but she really shouldn't be putting herself into situations that could expedite her condition."

Raven was fragile in Apple's eyes, covering up the scars and tears with conservative dark clothing and a defiant mask but Apple had seen, just a fraction, of what lay beneath those carefully laid defenses, the terrorizing past that the witch suffered the burden of in silence. Raven was by far the most heartbreaking and beautiful creature that Apple had ever met, and because of that the princess felt so hopelessly out of her depth.

She did not know how to take away the pain of the past, even if Raven had regaled her with every terrible detail Apple was recognizing with a dawning horror that she would not know how to even begin to make things better for Raven and that helplessness, that fear of losing Raven scared her more than losing her story ever did.

"So what are you going to do Apple, hmm? Are you just going to go over there and say; oh I'm sorry but Raven can't be near you because I don't approve of how open witches are with sexual congress and I do not want any of that nonsense anywhere near her so if you could kindly just shove off that'd be great?" Briar demanded shaking the other's shoulders just a little, not nearly as much as she wanted to, but enough to jostle Apple's head around a fair amount.

"Maybe I might be going about this a little too strongly…" Apple admitted reluctantly, partly to get the shaking to stop. "But I still should go over there and act as a third wheel just incase that… _girl_ tries something."

"Apple… I'm telling you this as a friend that loves you _very much_… you can't do that to Raven." Briar looks to the other princess solemnly.

"Why not?" Apple demanded predictably offended.

_Because you have no right to, you want a prince and a fairytale and you are only hurting that girl worse than you have ever managed to hurt me by playing with her heart so thoughtlessly. Because she loves you to an extent that makes me feel more sorry for her than jealous because not even I could stand to even be around you and your talk of fairytales and princes if I were in her position. Because she deserves to be happy even if you aren't in the picture to string her along like you've been doing recently._ Briar thought sadly, the thoughts dangerously close to forming into words just to make Apple _see _for once but she managed to swallow and say something less incriminating.

"Raven… might not be with you forever… at least not in the way you say you want to be with her, it's just not fair to ask her to always be there by your side when you want a prince and a fairytale at the same time. Apple… the life that you have decided for yourself by sticking to the Royal traditions leaves no room for Raven to be anywhere near you, not anywhere close to being the same way with you as you want her to be." The brunette princess looks the other dead in the eye.

"You will become a wife to a prince shortly after graduation, you will be expected to produce an heir soon after that, you want to get more involved with ruling your kingdom so that your parents can retire within a few short years, and then soon after that you will become queen, you will be a figurehead by the name of Snow White, you will not be Apple, you will not have room for anyone else but acquaintances and friends that would need to schedule in to see you, you _will not_ be able to be Raven's… _"close friend"_ anymore after all of that."

Apple hunches in on herself, hackles raised. "That won't happen if she becomes apart of my court." The blonde hissed through clenched teeth.

Briar breathed in quickly Apple did not look happy and she did not want to be interrupted, Briar had to speak her peace.

"Apple, I know that you don't like to think about it but Elenore had to be discreet in her involvement in your family. Remember? Remember how I had found out that she was a Queen and you made me swear over a hundred times _not to tell anyone _that she was the former Evil Queen? You had _scared me_ back then, but now I understand why you had to be that scary…"

Apple flinches at the mention of the day she had backed her friend into a corner and had demanded that she repeat the words _"her name is just Elenore"_ over and over again until they were both hoarse because even though Apple did not fully register the terror that was Elenore's daughter she did recognize the growing hostility to Evil Queens in general and did not want to lose the woman Briar had come to think and joke that the witch acted as Apple's second mom, and because of this knowledge, that if put into the right context Apple can understand the gist of things that are outside of her perfect, made up little worldview, Briar hopes that her next statement can get through to her.

"Apple can you honestly look me in the eye and tell me that Raven would be happy in your court while you are too busy being Snow White? She'd be blamed for every little thing that went wrong, and even though she can't ever harm you, people would still be terrified by her heritage, princesses have responsibilities and duties that need to be fulfilled and as long as you marry Daring and become Snow White… become that figurehead you can _never_ be by Raven's side to glare down the political snakes and the skeptical minds, to ensure that Raven is happy because your side will already be filled by the Prince Charming and the fairytale of Snow White. I understand how much you want to have it all but… there is only so much that a princess who has kept to her Royal roots can do. And there will be only so much that Raven can take before she has to leave for the sake of her own happiness." Briar is pleading now because she knows that if she doesn't say something now her well-intentioned friend will just end up clutching to Raven like the witch is a preverbal security blanket but without the means to act as anything secure or being able to provide Raven with happiness in return.

For her part Apple does understand… to an extent, it makes her want to cry and breaks her heart up like nothing else but she understands all too well how a Snow White… how a _princess _must appear to the world; fair, innocent, fragile, certainly _never_ bold enough to rock the boat or drag along a blood relative to the Evil Queen into her daily life.

Apple looked to the left, she looked to the right but she could not stop the truth from facing her wherever she turned.

How could she have been so self absorbed into what she just automatically assumed would be a simple transition of adding Raven into her future plans that she became blind to reality? It hurt Raven enough that people still ran away from her in fear, how could Apple possibly ask a dying girl to live with that pain for the rest of her life?

Briar rubbed her misty eyed friend's back soothingly. "I'm not saying that you can't take care of her or that you two will never be close but… Apple seriously, let Raven live her own life, choose her own path! If that, by some miracle, just so happens to land her by your side then great! But you need to be prepared for the possibility that she won't… ok? That she'll find someone that can be by her side without duty or destiny to come in the way. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Apple was silent but her lack of protests or arguments were just as good of an answer as anything.

"I think we're done here." Briar commented to the side and Apple was startled to finally notice that Cerise had been there the entire time.

"Cerise?" Briar asked but the hooded girl didn't respond right away, she was too busy peering attentively over the bush focusing on something that had caused her eyes to almost bug out of their sockets.

"We need to cover her eyes and get her out of here. Now." Cerise ordered lowly.

But it was already too late, when the brunette princess automatically reached out to do just that her hand met with Apple's skirt.

Apple's glowing skirt.

"Ancestors curse the land!" Apple snarled viciously scowling hatefully over the same bush.

Briar didn't have enough of the bush to peer over so she had to peer around the trunk of the adjoining tree.

"_Damn_." Briar exhaled almost prayerfully.

"Yep." Cerise agreed. "_Damn_ is just about right.

Charlotte had taken off her helmet and jacket giving the entire visible area a shocking view.

Charlotte was tall with her sculpted leather-clad legs seemingly unending; the pants she wore accented her curves in all the flattering places and flared out slightly, flirtatiously around the calves pulling the eye back up her body.

Charlotte's sun kissed tan accented her head full of long spikey platinum blonde hair with a blue strip curving through it just like her cousin's, the green tank-top she adorned did little to hide the perfect swell of her breasts and the subtle sculpt of her abs muscles. It certainly showed off her muscular arms, which did not hinder her stunning looks, but rather it just made her look all the more alluring, like she had once been a statue crafted from flawless marble by a master sculptor.

Charlotte only wore a little eyeliner around her eyes; she simply did not need any other form of visible makeup, no eye shadow, no blush, no lipstick and yet by some unknown cosmic unfairness to every female in the immediate area she was able to pull off the look with no issue whatsoever.

She was smiling at Raven the honest curve of her unpainted lips and the glittering glint in her eyes made her look very handsome, in a feminine sort of way.

Apple positively seethed.

"So these little guys have the potential to be a universal anti-curse agent?" Charlotte gently fingered a small potted Bleeding Rebel Heart sprig that Raven held up for inspection. Now that the hiding trio had stopped whispering furiously to each other it was easy to overhear the conversation between Raven and Charlotte (well easier for the princesses, Cerise had been using her super hearing to listen in the entire time).

"Well that theory is still in the tentative early stages." Raven admitted with a shy smile. "But I'm hopeful that the Bleeding Rebel Hearts could be the key we need to cure lands like Wonderland from the Evil Queen's poison."

The look of cautious hope did not merely stop from crossing the face of Charlotte, the Headmaster and even Faybelle shared similar hopeful looks.

"That is correct." The Headmaster held himself regally. "Ever After High has utilized our resources normally used for magic classes and repurposed them for the research into the potential uses of this new plant. Raven Queen is one of the students here that has been assisting the researchers and professors in this endeavor. Her contributions and enthusiasm has helped greatly in getting us this far this fast."

Raven's obvious shock towards the uncharacteristic complement almost causes her to miss Charlotte's request to see where the precious plants have been growing.

"O-of coarse you can see some of the places where these have been growing." Raven stumbles before getting back on track. "Right now they pretty much grow wildly all over the school grounds so it won't be a bother at all to show you. In fact you'll be seeing a lot of these plants throughout your stay here."

"Hextacular!" Charlotte grins like a kid in a free sample candy shop.

As the group begins to walk away something about the conversation just spoken strikes Apple enough for her to momentarily drop the Charlotte issue. She thinks over the words about Bleeding Rebel Hearts, Raven's growing involvement in the plant's study, and…

…And Raven Queen, Queen, _queen_… for Raven the title of _Queen_ wasn't just a simple last name… technically… Raven was a queen, a monarch, and a blood born ruler.

"That's it! That's the answer!" Apple whispered in relief, slumping back down into a sitting position.

"What's it?" Cerise eyed the blonde worriedly, half expecting the princess to have snapped herself into delirium.

"I know how Raven can stay by my side! It won't be easy or simple but since when has Raven ever done anything that has been easy or simple!" Apple laughed joyously. "It can work! We can make this work!" She proudly declared to the heavens.

"Apple what are you talking about?" Briar admittedly was thinking the same thing as Cerise at this moment.

"Raven is a queen Briar." Apple gripped her friend by the arms. "Not just by last name, Raven is unaffiliated to the Evil Queen and that title so what does that currently make her?"

Recognition dawned on Briar. "_Queen Raven_. She holds the title of a Queen…" she whispered, beginning to see where this line of thought was heading.

"Yes!" Apple grinned like a maniac. "Yes! Yes! Raven is _Queen Raven_, _Queen_ _Raven_ who fearlessly denied her mother's footsteps, _Queen Raven_ who changed her destiny, _Queen Raven_ who discovered the hope of curing the poisoned worlds of their curses! They can't force her into hiding; they can't shame her for her mother's sins because she is the living symbol of _defiance_ to _the Evil Queen_! A true Queen who is fighting a cold war with the Evil Queen and she is _winning_! Do you know what this means?"

"No. No I don't. Do you care to enlighten me oh so mighty and all knowing royalty?" Cerise piped up dryly.

Apple turned to excitedly grip Cerise by the arms. "Raven has denied her cursed destiny, became the leader of the Rebels, _and_ she is actively searching for a cure for the poisoned lands! Raven isn't just a fairytale character in a story _she is the story_, the story of Queen Raven!"

Briar cleared her throat. "Since Raven cannot become the Evil Queen herself, that she is looking for a cure for the current Evil Queen's curse… also there's the fact that she is of Royal blood… _and_ has become the leader of the Rebel group faction on top of all of that, she can legally be classified as a "_queen"_ to a new monarchy blood line. She can claim you Rebels as her people and her political views as radical battles that she has been fighting for the better good of you, her subjects, and she is taking responsibility for her mother's, the old monarchy's, actions thus all it would take for Raven to be accepted amongst the White family's political allies is time and for a profitable alliance to be made between Apple's kingdom and Raven's family industry for it to be seen as acceptable for Raven to be member of Apple's future court. Raven would not be viewed as an evil character that Apple had taken a scandalous liking to but as a queen to a small, unmapped kingdom." Briar explained, hoping that she was making sense out of the complicated political babble.

"So it all boils down to money and good PR to bribe the big wigs into letting go of their prejudices." Cerise's voice still held a dry tone.

"Pretty much." Briar shrugged.

"That's not all this could be." Apple stated on the edge of hyperventilating she was so exited.

When the two looked at her oddly Apple continued her explanation, her mind going a mile a minute. "By the ancient laws of fairytales a _new story_ is classified as an individual or individuals who have carved their own path that has influenced the magic and worldly structure put into place by our very first fairytale ancestors. The tale of Wonderland for instance became classified as a fairytale when Alice, a distant descendant of one of the knights of King Arthur's round table, used her innate fairytale magical ability to accidently open a portal into Wonderland for the first time since our pre-fairytale ancestors had tried to invade Wonderland. Her awakened fairytale magical ability managed to pull in every individual she met with into her story thus increasing her magical strength placing her tale into the Book of Legends. What I'm thinking is that Raven could use her active fairytale magical abilities to affiliate herself in another story as a spare character or maybe… just maybe create her own story altogether! Her destiny's changed but that does not mean that she can't find another story and beat her current fate! This could possibly save her!" The princess exclaimed.

Cerise cast Briar a panicked look, Briar replied by putting her head in her hands and sighing tiredly.

All that effort to tastefully convince Apple that she could not take an active roll in deciding what Raven's life and future would consist of and allowing the witch to make her own plans for her life and Apple could not take a pointed hint?

Briar was certain that by all the talk of comparing Raven's roll in Apple's future life to that of what part _Daring_ was arranged to take would at least be a major clue that Apple was asking too much from Raven without providing the means to ensure an equal, healthy partnership in return.

Honestly did Apple just expect Raven to remain a single woman forever? What if Raven wanted a girlfriend, a wife? And sure, Daring certainly was an egotistical bastard by all accounts but even he didn't deserve to forever be a pretty face to just be shoved into a corner unless there were important people around! And Raven did not deserve to be told what to do with her life and live in a giant fancy cage as Apple's… whatever she was to Apple! No one should be a dirty little secret or possession to be used only when it was convenient!

"Uh, Apple… you're forgetting that Raven doesn't want to be in a fairytale…" Cerise raised a hand weakly, pausing for a moment as if she were thinking furiously on how to continue.

"I'm sure that she wants to be near you but… isn't this plan of yours a little too early in the, you know, _planning stages_? I mean right now you're just heading into this without any concrete contingencies or a means of making this worthwhile to Raven. Maybe she doesn't need to be in a fairytale to survive in the first place. Maybe she wants to try things out with another witch or girl. Maybe she has other plans for her life did you think about that? Did you even talk to her before making all of these assumptions that she'll just hop into step behind you and follow you into your fairytale life?" The hooded girl had to go through a great effort to try to keep her tone calm and slow.

Really what was it about Raven that made this girl act on the first crazy impulse that came to mind?

After a moment that felt like it stretched on for eternity, Apple finally, finally sobered at Cerise's words, her eyes visibly changing from a glazed starry-eyed sparkle to clear serious intelligence.

Cerise let out a relieved huff; she'd seen that look before; look out princess here comes the _queen_.

"You're right Cerise." Apple admits in a dignified somber tone. "I need to incorporate Raven's wants and desires and do a lot of research before I go headlong into this… and that is if this idea of mine will even have a chance of working, for all I know being in a fairytale at all might do more harm than good! I need to take extra special care with this, for Raven's sake and as her future queen I must do this right."

"Now you're starting to sound like a true queen." Cerise nodded in satisfaction.

Apple cracked a tiny smile. "Thanks, the both of you, I probably sounded very silly there for a moment."

"Oh yeah." Briar had no qualms stating.

Cerise nodded her head. "Yep."

"Gee thanks." Apple cast the two a halfhearted glare as she stood up.

"What are friends for?" Cerise shot back, Briar snickered.

Apple rolled her eyes smiling good naturedly as she walked away. "And now I need to go find Raven. Whatever Faybelle is planning I will make certain that it does not succeed."

"…And now she sounds like a jealous lover." Cerise muttered just under the blonde's hearing range.

Briar shrugged. "Well at least we convinced her not to try to force Raven into another fairytale… you know sometimes it's kinda scary how fast her mind can work, I mean it only took a few moments to go from "_Queen Raven_" to "_Raven the_ _fairytale extra_", how did she even make that leap in the first place?" The princess shook her head as if to clear her mind from obsessing about the befuddling question.

"I don't know how she does it, but I do know that it can be a very useful asset as long as she stays out of that _princess mindset_. No offence but I just can't think of any situation where fainting at the slightest provocation would be useful." Cerise comments, in her mind you were just asking to get eaten or taken advantage of if you fainted at the sight of a dragon or a mugger.

Briar gives the other a sidelong smirk that raises the hair on the back of the hooded girl's neck. "Oh, I can think of at least one thing."

Cerise gulps but tries to act cool. "Oh real- uh?" Suddenly her arms are full of limp princess.

Briar smiles smugly when the other automatically hefts the princess up into her arms.

"What did that accomplish?" Cerise asks bemused.

"Free ride." The princess grins. "C'mon let's do a few laps around the school before you need to head to the stadium."

"You're lucky that I like running so much." Cerise points out but she is smiling all the same.

"And I plan to take full advantage!" Briar cackles.

XXX

"I don't see how you could've been so paranoid about her no more than a week ago." Charlotte laughed as she placed her things in the closet beside the unclaimed second bed in Faybelle's dorm room. "She seems hardly able to stop from blushing when I flirted with her let alone be able to conceal a surprise master plan to take your story."

"Never underestimate those who seem all sparkles and moonbeams." Faybelle scolded. "She was after all bold enough not to sign the Book in front of a room full of the most influential youth in several worlds."

"That just makes her all the more appealing." The other shot back smiling dreamily. "And besides," the witch touched the duvet cover of the unclaimed bed respectfully, "If all goes well with her research maybe you can finally meet your assigned roommate."

Faybelle is silent as she glances at the unclaimed bed that Bunny Blanc, daughter of the White Rabbit would have taken if she weren't currently trapped in Wonderland.

"Yes, well, being in the predicament that she has found herself in would shake anyone into taking up impossible tasks just to distract themselves." Faybelle states flippantly, pointedly looking away from the empty bed and the constant feeling of shame that came with it.

To anybody else that had not grown up with Faybelle and who was not a blood relative might have taken offence, but Charlotte saw the telltale set of her cousin's jaw, the clenched hands, the downcast turn of her head.

It was no secret in their family how hard Faybelle had taken the news of how her mother's hard work had been completely blown apart by the late Evil Queen; after all being the Evil Fairy was not seen as just something that you had to get over with before moving on, it was a point of honor in their family, a right of passage.

A right her aunt and her cousin's mother had been disgraced of.

"You never did say what it was exactly that prevents Raven Queen from fulfilling her tale. I know that it has something to do with her magic color but there's something more isn't there? There's a statement in the witch's tone but she still manages to phrase her words into a question.

Faybelle snickered smiling at her witchy cousin mysteriously.

"Oh you'll see."

XXX

"Here you go, sixteen tins of healing balm and a few bottles of cooling gel all ready and waiting for you here." Raven set one of several large baskets down onto a supply table in the recently constructed medical tent.

"Thanks again for doing this for us Raven." Tiny thanked the witch with feeling, at least he knew that whatever injuries he sustained would be taken care of with good hands, he had ran into some of the opposing players at breakfast _and boy_ _did they have a grudge against giants_.

"It's really no problem." Raven assured with a quiet smile. "Ever since my magic changed color using my power has gotten a lot easier so it's a joy concocting magical potions without anything coming to life and trying to escape."

Raven still hadn't managed to round up the critter from the time she tried to brew some coffee with a little magical pick-me-up. It had picked up all right, and it had managed to skip its way all the way out the door, (to which it had somehow opened… which was impressive considering the little bugger was barley six inches high) before the witch's tired brain had time to register that, _yes_, what had just happened was _not a dream_.

Raven never did have the heart to tell anyone that the "ghost" of the girl's dorms wasn't really a ghost at all. Ignorance was indeed bliss and Raven believed that wholeheartedly regarding that particular incident.

"We… probably don't want to know the specifics with that. Do we?" Hunter chuckled nervously.

"It's probably best that you didn't." Raven agreed.

"Hey Raven? What's Apple doing here?" Hunter asked with false innocence as he pointed to the corner of the tent closest to the witch where Apple White was eyeing the two tent entrances with baited contempt, the Huntsman could not quite keep the irritated tick of his eye at bay.

"I asked her to come." Raven confessed brightly. "Apple has some of the best first aide skills I've ever seen."

At the witch's words Apple lost her sour demeanor. "Aw thank you Raven." Apple crossed the short distance to wrap her arms around the witch's shoulders nuzzling the side of Raven's face.

Hunter's eyes narrowed at the bittersweet expression Raven wore, Ashlynn often had the same look the times after she and Apple had to pair up for princess classes.

The group had made their way outside the tent by this time and was slowly walking towards the team bench and water area.

"Hey Raven, what do ya think about Faybelle's cousin, the witch?" Hunter asked partly to distract the princess from playing with his friend's heart, partly because he was genuinely curious. Since Raven seemed to be in a good mood and Apple seemed to be very agitated he guessed that things had gone well with the visiting witch.

Apple scowled at the mention of Charlotte, when she had finally found her witch humming her way to the dorms Apple knew that she should have been more diligent in following Raven and Charlotte, the feeling continued as she helped Raven carry the basket of medical potions from their dorm to the field, all the while _her witch_ had a goofy grin plastered to her face and was walking around as if she were made of air.

"She's awesome!" Raven stated with a wide smile, causing Apple's scowl to deepen. "I was worried that the feud between the Evil Queen and the Thorn clan would cause the same resentment towards me but there was none of that."

"Well there is no longer any reason for anyone to fear your interference in my dear cousin's tale now with your changed destiny miss rebellious leader." A voice as smooth as melted dark chocolate came from behind them.

"Charlotte!" Raven grinned, breaking from Apple's hold to race over to the other witch.

"Hey pretty lady!" Charlotte greeted with a charming smile, grasping Raven's hand in her own. "Need some hextra help with the medical tent? I heard that you guys are going toe to sheleighly stick against the leprechauns, so if you need anyone to use a bit of magic to keep down the bumps and bruises I'm your girl."

"Thank you." Raven said gratefully. "Although I'm getting the hang of healing potions, I'm still a little iffy when it comes to healing spells, and I know that my friend Tiny will definitely be needing that little bit of help."

"I would very much appreciate it Miss Charlotte Thorn." Tiny piped up.

The taller witch perked up. "Tiny? Oh you must be the sweetheart giant Raven was talking about! And you in the green shirt must be Hunter Huntsman! I've heard such lovely things about you from your friend here. Please, you can just call me Charlotte if you'd like."

"Oh th-thank you… Charlotte." Tiny gushed shyly.

"Pleased to meet you." Hunter shook the witch's hand with a nod of approval.

Charlotte's gaze passes over to Apple her eyes widening in shock at the sight of the glowing princess.

"Th-this is Apple White." Raven stutters sounding both very proud and a little bitter. "The leader of the Royals and the future Snow White."

Charlotte raises a brow suspiciously as if trying to gauge whether the blonde girl before her was a nice princess or a bad princess.

"What's going on?" Daring walked up from the other side of the group eyeing a thunderously silent glowing Apple with no small amount of fear.

Seeing an opportunity Hunter grips Daring by the shoulder and gives a good shake. "And _this_ handsome fella right here is Daring Charming, future Prince Charming, and Apple's lovey dovey hubby to be."

Daring casts the other, grinning like a fool, male a wide-eyed look of confused terror, sensing that something horrible was about to commence.

"Ah." Said Charlotte an unreadable look crossing her face. "So he's her boyfriend."

"Actually Apple and I agreed in junior high that we could see other people." Daring spoke quickly in the hopes of quelling any misunderstandings that might be occurring before his under-informed eyes.

"We have all of ever after together after all." Apple hissed through clenched teeth and a fake smile never once looking at anyone but Charlotte and Charlotte's hands still clasping over Raven's hands.

"Very nice to meet you Daring." Charlotte smiled charmingly at the boy in a way that nearly equaled the Daring's usual trademark charming grin. Her eyes however never met the boy's for they were now locked on Apple.

_Bad princess_ _it is then_.

Raven held the same terrorized look as Daring; her head kept swiveling between Apple's murderous fiery grin and Charlotte's calculating cool smile.

"Are these water coolers filled up?" Raven broke the thick silence desperately using her magic to levitate the orange coolers with a little shake. "Yep these look rather empty, I'll just head off to get these… filled."

Raven stilled realizing that as a witch Charlotte could easily sense that her magic was currently being summoned in two individuals. Hex she probably sensed out her magical print the moment Apple lit up! Raven knew that it wasn't Apple's fault, she was just learning how to control their magic around her emotions, and that the princess was probably feeling stressed from not being able to hide her misguided contempt towards Charlotte making the situation worse. She gulped and cast the taller witch a pleading look.

"Charlotte could you please help Hunter and Tiny prep the medical tent? If anybody asks why you are there just tell them that I hired you to help out."

Charlotte gave the other witch a sweeping bow. "I am at your service milady."

Raven blushed smiling a little at the flattering gesture.

Before Apple could do anything drastic Raven turned towards the princess with pleading eyes, effectively snuffing out the fire that fueled Apple's glow. "Apple could you please find Healer Phalange and see if she needs help with anything?"

"Anything for you Raven." Apple promised brushing her hand with Raven's as the witch hurriedly passed her.

"I'll accompany Raven!" Daring declared, running after the witch and away from the tense scene.

"Fascinating." Charlotte said coolly before walking away.

"Annoying." Apple growled marching off in a different direction.

Tiny looked back and forth between everyone's retreating forms with nervous confusion.

"Umm… did I… miss something?" The giant asked meekly.

"Don't worry about it buddy." Hunter assured with a pleased smile. With hope Raven could find someone better than Apple White far faster than the witch had originally thought.

Watching the entire scene from above, Faybelle stifled her laughter.

XXX

"Are you alright Raven?" Daring asked, his deep almost fatherly tone causing Raven's tense muscles to relax by a factor of seven.

"I don't know." Raven sighed sitting down heavily on a wooden bench in the home team's lounge.

Daring sat down next to her. "Well I'm here for you if you need any help figuring that out."

"Why is Apple… caring so much?" Raven asked suddenly looking down at the floor in thought. "I mean I can see her worried about whether I'll disappear or not but most people in her position would be actively spending a lot of their time looking for my replacement. Hex I had thought for a while that Apple would be trying to act like the model princess or keep an eye out to all the other magic users just incase my inability to be in a fairytale might be contagious or a campus wide catastrophe! Out of all the ways I had been expecting Apple to react I never once thought that… she'd ever act like…" Raven trailed off.

"Act like what?" Daring prompted voice gentle yet prodding.

"Like I'm… hers. Like I… belong only to Apple? Tell me if it's just me being paranoid or not but… It feels like she is somewhere by my side all the time! Whether she's physically in the room or has one of her Royal friends there in her place, she's in some way or another always present. I know I act like I don't have a clue but, I _have_ noticed that she's been very harsh to those who have particularly stronger feeling against me in general." Raven shook her head, letting out a frustrated huff.

"My question is why is she acting like I have never been on my own with really big problems before? Why is she trying to shelter me from the _"anti-Raven"_ faction when I've dealt with them fairly well in the past? And yes before you ask I do know that they exist." Raven gave the prince a pointed look when he seemed to look so surprised about Raven having to deal with the extremist section of the Royals.

Daring hums in thought, Raven certainly did not ask simple questions he'd give her that much. He knew in an abstract way why Apple was being so protective that it was almost to the point of smothering; she loved Raven, more than her fairytale or him that much was painfully obvious.

But then again he could not quite understand the intensity of her actions that Apple was paying to Raven. He agreed with the witch that the princess was being excessive in her attentions to Raven, if they were already lovers he'd see no real issue with it, perhaps he'd think that Apple was merely being a tad excessive, but seeing as Apple and Raven were not a couple (_yet_) then, yes, Raven's early predictions of how the princess was going to act should have been mostly accurate.

"Well I suppose that I shouldn't be as surprised as I am to hear that you've had to be dealing with Faybelle and others like her for a while… may I ask out of curiosity how long exactly…?"

"The number had actually dropped after Legacy Day." Raven admitted thinking back. "Yes it was definitely Legacy Day and the beginning of the Rebels when a lot of the… _that_ had stopped, before then I had been dealing with bullies for practically my entire life. Mother never did make things easy…" The witch sighed lightly but feeling frustrated and confused on the inside.

Daring flinched at the admission, much to his growing sense of unease Raven's tone had been light and she seemed to wave it off as if the whole thing was only to be expected. To top it off the witch acted like it was far stranger that a lot of the harassment had ceased after Legacy Day.

Raven scratches at the hair on the back of her neck. "You're making the same face that Apple makes whenever I tell her about…"

"About what?" The prince asks almost afraid that he already knew the answer.

"Bah, it's nothing." Raven turned her head away in an attempt to hide from the prince's searching gaze, which was eerily similar to Apple's.

Unfortunately her hair parted around her neck revealing that gnarled scar at its base.

"These… bullies, did they ever try to physically harm you?" Daring asked his voice higher than normal.

Raven shook her head the action causing her loose shirt to slip down her back slightly revealing the beginnings of another scar running down from her shoulder blade. "Nothing worse than pinches and a few attempted tries to throw rocks, there were bruises but that was not even enough to leave a lasting scar. My magic would act up eventually to protect me, shield me, and then everyone would run away because they were suddenly reminded that I was the daughter of the _monstrous Evil_ _Queen_ and therefore something to be _feared_."

Daring's stomach dropped as he suddenly came to the horrifying conclusion that the only one powerful enough- _terrible_ _enough_ to leave the scars that were now visible to him was…

Daring now understood why Apple was being so protective.

It was because of the guilt.

Daring breathed in deeply to steel his nerves. "You know Raven… Apple, myself, Briar… we were all raised to think of our fairytales as a sort of… game. We are conditioned from a young age that things in the world are to be a certain way and in order to have us get used to that idea is to… make it fun. I don't think that either Apple or I ever really feared you. You were our beloved villain, the one who would begin our little game, and the one who set the rules and made certain all went along without a hitch. In a way we trusted that you would ensure our safety by concocting a harmless sleeping potion for the apple, making certain that we did not miss a step by overseeing us through that mirror, and coming to our rescue if something unexpected happened. We were taught that the tale of Snow White was an important ritualistic game that we needed to play in order to protect our world and both of our families stressed the importance of your role as our game master." The prince rambles but Raven, who has never heard of fairytales being put into that type of light, listens intently even when Daring repeats himself slightly due to nerves.

Daring stops to look at Raven somberly. "But our fairytale was never a game to you, was it Raven?"

"I never…" Raven swallowed thickly. "I never really… thought about it like that…" She tries to be generous.

"It's because you never had the chance to have fun with your story. That right was taken away, the title of Evil Queen no longer was a right of passage but a prison sentence." Daring looked at her knowingly. "I think that Apple has found out a little bit about how it was like for you growing up, the pain and misery you had to sustain and she is _appalled_ by it." Just as he was appalled by the scars on her neck and back.

The expression Raven makes is all the answer he needs to know that his hunch about there being a darker aspect to Raven's past, that Apple's protective behavior was derived directly from that knowledge, was _right_.

"So you know about the abduction? Those months she kept me locked up? The… experiments that left the… the scars?" Raven asks him fiercely eyes clear and unwavering. "Who told?" She demanded lowly almost feral.

Daring is floored by the witch's words. This… this changed everything! All of the prince's original assumptions about Raven shattered and collapsed violently. If it weren't for years of training Daring might've let slip his shock and horror to show on his face, and even then it was a close thing that the prince didn't say; _"She did __**what**__to you?"_ right off the bat.

"I am perfectly capable at deducing what troubles maidens on my own." Daring keeps his poker face even if it suddenly feels as though someone had punched him in the gut and his inner self is going into hysterics.

Raven looks surprised that she had been easier to read than she originally thought.

After a sober silence between the two Daring speaks. "Apple wants to shelter you from any more pain. To take care of you as she- _we_ should have done long ago." Daring tries to explain Apple's intentions by basing his theory off of his own feelings.

How could he not have seen? _Always seeing but never admitting, taking responsibility, helping her when she needed it, taking care of her, their story, their villain, their Raven…_

"And what about you guys, the rest of you Royals that are loyal to her what are you trying to _shelter_ me against?" Raven asks him cagily.

"We are finally beginning to understand that what you had started on Legacy Day was not a slight towards us but an act to defend yourself." Daring admitted thinking of how Lizzie would teach the girl how to look poised and powerful while using a flamingo club to beat the imaginary enemy into submission, how Ashlynn Cooed and mothered Raven like an injured baby bird, how Briar used her talents both to defend and promote an easy rest for those times when Raven would be struck by nightmares while she napped at lunch…

And how Apple White was slowly crafting an intricate web of Royal allies to ensure that no one dared land a malicious hand upon Raven ever again.

"We are doing what is long over due Raven." Daring said sagely, reaching out and hugging the surprised girl close. "We are protecting one of our own."

XXX

Dexter was not having as successful of a day as he had originally hoped.

And that may have been an underestimated statement.

First thing that morning as he headed to breakfast he got bowled over by something fast and glowing, he had first thought that it was Apple but he knew the princess did not glow and she certainly _did not_ swear like _that_.

He had thought that it was his good fortune that his brother had been waiting for him with a second tray of breakfast waiting and sincere questions about what section of the wooing maidens textbook he was planning on following. But instead of some uplifting brotherly advice and useful tips Daring had looked around shiftily and confessed that the textbook was rather useless unless the maiden in question was actively looking for a prince to date in to first place.

Well that had been uncharacteristically discouraging but Dexter was even more surprised when Daring, _Daring the heart-throb of Ever After High Charming,_ admitted that he had actually failed to woo a girl that he had set his sights on!

Daring kept the identity of the girl a secret as he regaled his brother of how he had gone out of his way to do fun activities with her so that they could build off of what they had in common but unfortunately she had only seen him as a fun friend to hang out with. Not as a potential boyfriend or… anything more.

"I really messed up." Daring sighed somberly. "She wasn't just any other girl that I have ever wooed; she was interested in the same things as I, she was not too overly enchanted by my looks to feel as though she should not speak her mind or speak to me as another human being on equal ground… and I really… _really_ enjoyed our… outings as friends. I had not realized before but the dates that I went on with many of the numerous princesses and maidens… well they felt more like a chore most of the time. With her, even as just friends, I actually felt… something."

Daring had actually looked… heartbroken. "And now, because I was being so rash and not at all sensitive to what she was feeling… we aren't even friends any longer. She's… nice to me, polite even, but very hurt that I had led her on to think that I wanted to be her friend and… that obviously had not been my intention I'm ashamed to say."

Dexter did not know what to do, he had never seen his brother saddened over a girl… come to think of it he had never seen his brother actually get turned down by a girl either. Not ever!

"So… you're saying that I should not lie to her?" Dexter guessed.

"And that you should not automatically assume the textbook and your Charming name will get you the girl." Daring looked nervously around and flinched slightly when he caught sight of something. "Particularly when that girl has a friend with a disturbing affinity with sleeping spells and dream charms…"

Dexter wasn't very hungry after that and so he opted to leave his half-eaten meal and bid his brother farewell with a manly pat on the back. Although Dexter felt sympathy for his brother (the poor guy looked really hurt), he also felt disappointed that the advice had been so… discouraging; sure it was some good heartfelt advice but it set his already shot nerves into another round of hysteria just when he needed to remain at his calmest.

As he was leaving in order to find Raven before he lost his courage he nearly got bowled over a second time only this time it was Apple who had nearly caused him to spill into the garbage bins. She didn't appear to see him in her haste, and the slice of toast still lodged into her grumbling mouth would have impeded any apologies she might have made.

"Sorry Dexter!" Briar had apologized in her friend's stead as she ran passed with cerise keeping step beside her. "Apple wait! Oh spinning needles!"

…That had been strange.

Finding Raven was more difficult than originally expected; she wasn't in her dorm, she wasn't at the swamp, the school dungeons, the evil supply outlet stores, the mirror market, she sure wasn't anywhere near the usual popular weekend spots, or where the villains regularly hung out (he had been surprised to learn from Ginger that Raven had never to anyone's knowledge set foot near where the villains usually spent their weekend time). Dexter was actually embarrassed to figure out that aside from the time she agreed to go to the movies with him, or the time she asked him to go to one of Briar's parties as her plus one… he hadn't the first clue as to where she liked to spend her free time.

He tried to call her, and after several aborted attempts where he would dial her number before shutting off his device before he ever got up the courage to hit send, she never picked up (he couldn't quite remember what he had said to the voicemail, just that he covered the built in camera with his hand and stuttered out something about wanting to sell… something evil… actually he believed it had been something about poisoned nail polish…).

Well it seemed as though he'd have to ask her sometime after the game because faster than he had expected it was time to run over to the field because he was ten minutes late!

He had hoped to find a moment to ask Raven if she could please meet him after the game but his already dressed brother had come out of nowhere to snatch him up and, quite roughly he might add, stuffed him into his uniform.

Leprechauns, although arguably adorable and small, were downright terrifying when they wanted to be, Dexter decided. Sparrow Hood, unsurprisingly, ran off the field to hide the moment he spotted just how gnarly and big the visiting team's clubs were, singing all the way through his retreat.

"Oi! We 'aven't dun nottin' yet!" One of the lighter orange haired boys that had been lined up in front of the musician yelled to Sparrow's retreating figure.

The stands on both sides filled up with laughter and giggles.

Suddenly Dexter felt very self-conscious, he took his eyes off of his opponent to see if Raven was watching, if she was then maybe he could somehow gather enough Charming courage to at least _look_ as though he was running around with an idea as to what he was doing. All former plans of dodging clubs and carrying his fellow team off the field melted right out of his brain when he saw that Raven was indeed watching.

She saw him staring at her; she looked at him curiously and waved frantically at him, calling out to him, though her voice was drowned out by the crowed.

_Oh Ancestors! She was waving at him wanting to get his attention! She wanted him to see her! Did this mean that she liked him back?_

"PLAY BALL!"

Unaware of his surroundings he waved back.

Something collided with the side of his face and the world went black.

XXX

"Dexter! Keep your eye on the other team! Keep your eye-! …Oh hex." Raven winced.

"Ouch." Charlotte sympathized. "That… that looked… painful. Very, very painful."

"It hasn't even been the first complete minute of the game." Cerise stated numbly, as the team's secret weapon she would not enter the game until later; she turned to Coach Gingerbreadman. "I'm gonna go recruit some extra power players if that's alright."

"They'd better be ready for battle!" The man warned giving his consent. "Hey keep your heads in the game! Remember what we did in practice!" He yelled, stalking off to the team bench.

"Poor Dexter." Apple covered her mouth in horror.

"Poor Dexter?" Tiffany Muffet huffed. "How about poor Tiny, look at the way they're working him over." The smaller blonde winced. "And there goes Daring."

"Right." Raven said looking determined. "Apple, you are on Dexter, Charlotte, you get to work on Tiny, and Tiffany is on Daring-," a loud yelp echoes over the noise of the crowd, "-And I will take care of Hunter."

Without a moment to spare the girls take in the hobbling, and carried in casualties, then set to work patching them up, apologetically sending the ones who could still stand back into the fray.


	8. The one with the failed confession

Author's note: (skip if you please, stay if you want)

So here's the second part of that really long chapter I was talking about in the last author's notes. Let's start things of with a: THANK YOU FOR THE LIKE/FAVORITE/REVIEWS! Always appreciated guys.

So here's the thing; you know how in the past chapters I've made it pretty clear that Apple has been very sheltered when it came to certain truths about life in general and so she's ridiculously oblivious about a lot of very important things? Well I decided that in an attempt to get things moving along in this story a lot quicker, that I'm just gonna let that bite her in the ass in more than one way. In my observations things tend to come to a head a lot faster when someone makes a big fool out of themselves first, because then life can swoop in and hit them over the heads with the cosmic kick in the pants that is reality, and if you are a decent human being, you actually learn something (plus it's hilarious as hell as long as it is not happening to you).

Also, keep in mind that all of the different factions are coming to a very accurate conclusion about what is going on so that is going to be a major influence in Raven's decision making. Not trying to spoil anything before you read the chapter (unless of coarse you're like me and rarely read the author's notes first thing, or at all then you have nothing to worry about) but keep that in mind as you read this.

There will be some Cerise x Briar, Maddie x Kitty moments scattered throughout the next chapters, but for this one I seriously want to get things moving again because it's getting to the point where I am losing track of my numerous past written concepts due to this getting pretty complicated on me.

Also: what do you guys think of a polyamorous/ multiple spouses potential for Cupid? I mean she is the daughter of Eros, and she is Roman/Greek, it would not be too difficult to imagine.

Please comment if you'd like to say something constructive, and I hope you enjoy!

XXX

The one with the failed confession

XXX

When Dexter wakes up Apple is glowing.

It is fair to say that the boy comes rather quickly to the conclusion that he won't be playing anything on the field for a while.

In the same thought he realizes how he had gotten into this predicament in the first place, and that Raven probably hadn't been desperate to get his attention after all.

He was utterly mortified.

Well at least she cared enough to try and warn him, that had to count for something… right?

It came to his attention through his wavy vision that Apple was glaring at something.

That or she was constipated, but princesses weren't supposed to get constipated or anything other than gentle and pretty (well aside from his sister of coarse, which Dexter didn't find he had much problems with because for one hand he loved his sister dearly no matter Royal or Rebel, and on the other hand the less his sister acted like a pretty princess the less idiot hormonal boys would be hounding after her).

He turned his very sore head in the direction of Apple's intense glare and felt his stomach immediately drop.

His vision was still swimming on him, making everything all wobbly, and apparently making everyone he laid his eyes on glow different colors, but there was no mistaking the fact that Raven was snuggling closely with someone.

The two were outside the tent towards the direction of the bleachers and had their backs to him, obviously tending to Tiny's bruised foot, which was featuring a myriad of black and blue spots. The dude was unusually curvy for a… well for a _dude _(was it even possible for guys to have an hourglass waist and noticeable hips?), but that could be because of Dexter's odd vision, he, the dude, was definitely tall, tan, had white hair with a blue highlight curving through it, oddly narrow shoulders attached to muscular arms, not nearly as muscular as most males in hero classes including, he thought a touch smugly, his own muscly arms.

But that hardly mattered because the two individuals he was observing were so close to one another that the guy's red glow intermingled with Raven's white one, tingeing pink at the points they touched, which was almost everywhere if the sheer amount of pink glow had to say anything about it.

Great, he makes a fool of himself just once and some guy comes around to sweep Raven away.

The boy closed his eyes, too busy wallowing in self pity to take note that under the combined efforts of Charlotte and Raven's magic Tiny's bruised and battered foot began to heal itself until most of the minor bruises had vanished and the worst ones had taken a slightly yellow hue, but were looking much better regardless.

The two witches eased off of the use of their combined powers and their magic dissipated to normal.

"How does that feel Tiny?" Raven asked gasping from the exertion of using an unfamiliar spell.

The giant wiggled his toes experimentally. "A little tender, but I can move my toes without it hurting a lot. This is so much better than before! Thanks a bunch you guys!" Tiny exclaimed wiggling his toes happily.

"Anytime Tiny." Raven smiled as she gently patted the giant's foot.

"Good job Raven." Charlotte praised. "You learned how to keep up with me very quickly, a few more times with my or another magic user's help and I think that you could go solo."

Raven blushed. "Well I have found that I can pick up on spells and potions faster now after my magic changed color. I'm not all together certain why or how but lately it just feels more… in tune I guess you could say."

Charlotte hummed thoughtfully. "Well I guess this whole situation you're in is mostly a lot like a gift."

"In some respects I suppose." Raven cast Apple a half cheerful smile and a wave. To which the princess shot a smug look towards Charlotte and waved prettily back.

"Alright Cerise! Go show them whose boss!"

"Smash em' to pieces Tiffany!"

"Go Darling! Go Darling! You're so Charming Darling!"

Charlotte laughed heartily, the sound rumbled like dark bubbly firebird wine. "Looks like the tables have finally turned now that Ever After's lovely strong women have gone up for bat."

Raven snorted in response, giggling incessantly when the visiting team's faint shouts of; "It's a lass!", "I can't hit a lass, she's a- she's stolen me club!", "Oi coach whattya have t' say 'bout not lettin' me sister on the team now?" reached her ears.

"Oi, Ever After's first aid station." Came a melodious female voice. "We be runnin' out of supplies now that yer lasses are beatin' the hides off'a our lads. I warned coach 'bout he be needin' to be lettin' lasses on the team t' balance out t' ones on yours, but did that ol' fashioned git listen? No!"

"No problem." Raven tried to compose herself. "We have plenty left over thanks to Charlotte helping out with Tiny."

"Hey now pretty lady, don't be so modest, it was a team effort after all." Charlotte grinned lazily slinging an arm over the other's shoulder.

Raven blushed.

Apple glowed brighter.

"I thought she was just a princess." The female leprechaun pretended to muse lightly as she and Raven walked into the tent, keeping her pointed ears perked for any gossip material. Charlotte stayed with Tiny to make sure that a bite mark he had gotten on his finger when he had tried to grab the bookball wouldn't become infected.

"There's a simple explanation for that actually-" Raven began, readying herself to the bombardment of questions pertaining to the strange light a while back, but was interrupted before she could finish.

"Raven Queen and I," Apple announced regally despite her obvious curiosity to why the newcomer was there, "share a special bond that allows me to summon Raven's magic and use it myself if I wanted to." The princess kept up her glittery façade whilst scrutinizing this newcomer, a paranoid part of Apple wondered if this leprechaun girl intended to take Raven away like Charlotte seemed to desire to do.

Fear encased Raven's heart in an icy grasp. "A-Apple you may not want to-" Raven stuttered flushing bright red and feeling panicked.

"Oh I see…" The female leprechaun hid her surprise with feigned innocence. She looked between the two taller girls with raised bushy red eyebrows. "Well now that our home kingdom has legalized that sort of thing, I suppose that congratulations are in order, you must be a lucky girl, princess, to have found someone to be so close to."

"Through thick and thin." Apple proclaimed proudly, obliviously.

Raven's mouth ran dry; this was not good. The witch wanted to speak, to explain the cover story about how the mysterious light just made things oddly wonky but for some indescribable reason she could not speak.

"Say isn't that yer future Prince Charming out there bein' saved by yer girl wit t' rope and sheleighly stick?" The girl popped herself over to the tent entrance leading to the field. Sure enough Tiffany was there, providing interference via (stolen) club and (questionable use of) a rope, much to the visiting team's fearful surprise.

She had taken pity on the remaining boys by volunteering to replace Hunter after he gained a concussion, cracked a rib, and twisted his ankle to all heck and back. Raven had decided that the boy was probably better off recovering next to Ashlynn in the stands.

Hunter had been very happy to be transferred to the tender care of his doting girlfriend far away from the punishing blows of the leprechauns.

Raven startled her heart going into fits within the tight, icy cage of fear, _geeze _leprechauns moved just as fast as Cerise.

Apple smiled brightly. "Yep that's Daring."

"Golly gee, what does he 'ave t' say 'bout your "special bond" wit girly witch over there?" The leprechaun blinked innocently, smelling a sucker in Apple a mile away, and jumping onto this opportunity to learn more with relish. After all it wasn't everyday that a commoner like herself got to hear this much gossip from the usually tightlipped fairytale character crowed, these folk who had major influence upon the various worlds normally did not speak about personal matters.

The leprechaun was indeed very curious about this surprising twist; the Snow White family was one of the most influential and powerful human families in all of Ever After, perhaps they would soon be the only powerful family left after the humans from that KingClan died out. She had heard of the shocking rumors of some sort of Rebellion against the Book of Legends but she would have never had guessed that a White would be one of those rebels.

And to gain a witch's heart to boot! _Shamrocks_ the princess must be a serious bad ass under all of that glitter.

"I really don't think-" Raven croaked, tried to protest but again she was thwarted.

"Oh he's great about it!" Apple grinned unknowing to the misunderstanding she was causing. "In fact he said so himself that Raven and I are so cute together and that he supports us the entire way."

Raven wanted to bang her head against something, could Daring have been any more obvious? She didn't know whether to be grateful that Apple could be as dense as a rock at times or to just find a small corner somewhere to go pretend that the world didn't exist. Instead she frantically packed a little bit of everything into a basket and hoped that it would be enough first aid supplies to last the leprechauns long enough so that they wouldn't come back.

"This Daring, he be the boy you were gonna marry?" The unnamed leprechaun continued her questions expertly, feet preparing to flee at any given moment that Raven gathered enough courage and pause between words to voice her embarrassed discomfort. The witch looked adorable when embarrassed by her beloved's unapologetic boasting.

"Of coarse, he is my fairytale prince after all, even if Raven can't be apart of our story anymore my happily ever after is still going to happen." Apple stated, oblivious to Raven's wince and the leprechaun's widening eyes of shock.

"All packed and ready." Raven hooked one arm in the basket handles and gently but urgently griped the leprechaun's arm. "You should head over to your team's tent with the extra supplies, from the sound of things outside you'll be needing it." With that the witch dumped the filled basket into the leprechaun's arms, who had taken the hint and blinked out of sight.

"That was… odd." Apple mused, dropping her bright and shiny façade in favor of something far more intelligent, looking suspiciously at the spot where the still unnamed girl once stood. "Asking so many questions without even introducing herself."

The witch stood frozen, gripped with sudden panic.

She had hoped that the in not telling Apple about their True Love, or at least about Raven's witch's heart that she could spare her beloved some grief and pain for being stuck with a witch and not a prince.

Now however things had gotten just too ridiculous, there was no way that Raven could responsibly continue on with this little charade. The whole point of all the secrecy was to allow Apple her illusions of becoming a perfect fairytale princess and to keep Apple's particular worldview intact (just with the small addition of being a princess that could manipulate magic, but Raven was sure that Apple could factor that in with her own particular flare no problem). But now that would be impossible, if Apple did not see her ability to manipulate Raven's magic as an embarrassing little side effect of that lightshow nearly three months ago and continued to go about describing their situation like that no less…

Raven clutched her head thinking about the possible rumors that might spring up in the tabloids and newspapers. About what she was going to say to Apple when people from not only the school but from _outside_ the school began asking about witch's hearts and princesses who were supposed to be in a fairytale but were suddenly pushed into something just shy of a bad soap opera.

…And a lot of people still thought that she was dying… what if they thought that… because of Apple… Raven would disappear?

That was beyond not true of coarse and she was confident that she could eventually convince the Rebels that she was not going anywhere anytime soon… but… a lot of the Royals… would be harder to convince.

There was no getting around it (well there was, but continuing to lie to Apple was not an option that Raven's heart was willing to follow), she had to at least tell Apple about the realities of having a witch's heart (True Love was a completely different beast that Raven still considered too damaging to Apple's happiness to even consider telling the princess about it).

In the back of Raven's mind she had been sort of expecting this scenario, she had even planned it all out with her Rebel dorm neighbors (including the one secret Rebel) of what would happen if Apple found out and reacted badly.

Practically it was a convenient time to tell Apple, have the princess dole out her anger and embarrassment towards Raven, and still have time to move her belongings out of the dorm and temporarily hide out in Cerise and Cedar's dorm until everybody could discretely shuffle around and she would either end up as Ashlynn's new roommate with Briar becoming Apple's, or Cedar said that she wouldn't mind moving in with Apple (though she had also said that it would be a great opportunity for a new beginning and sent a blushing Cerise a wink for some reason).

Apple studied Raven. "And you are very agitated, something about her has made you uncomfortable and worried." Apple's voice and appearance were calm but the air around the blonde foretold of a growing inner storm.

"Am I interrupting something?" Charlotte asked arms crossed and eyeing the princess suspiciously from the bleacher facing entrance.

"Actually, Apple and I need to talk somewhere private… do you mind-?" Raven began to ask.

"To hold things down?" Charlotte finished nodding. "Yeah, I think that I can handle one unconscious boy, a recuperating Tiny, and Daring once the girls cart him back from battle." The taller witch smiled softly. "And if you ever need to talk about anything don't hesitate to call."

"Thank you." Raven smiled shakily back. "I'll keep that in mind."

"We'll no time like the present for a private talk." Apple grabbed Raven's hand possessively making Charlotte narrow her amber eyes. "Come on Raven I'll listen to whatever you have to say." As she said this Apple shot Charlotte a _look _before towing Raven out of the tent.

The two walked aimlessly, unnoticed by the captivated crowd, hand-in-hand in silence past the roaring stadium and across the school lawn into the enchanted forest. Apple began to lead the way then, guiding Raven to a familiar gazebo that was secluded enough from everything that it almost felt as though nothing else in the world existed but this place and the two of them.

Apple stood face to face with Raven, lacing her fingers with the witch's; they were close enough to each other to almost be sharing the same pocket of air.

"Talk." Apple commanded gently.

Raven halted her mental list of what to take with her first when she moved out. "I-I have t-to warn y-you a-about s-s-something." Raven gulped taking in a big breath to steady her voice. "It's… about the magic we share a-and… have you ever heard about witch's hearts?"

"You mean that myth that someone can live forever if they eat a witch's heart?" Apple made a face. "What does that have to do with anything?"

That startled a nervous laugh from Raven. "Actually that's just a misinformed rumor, the reality is… when a witch feels…"

Raven squeezed her eyes shut and trembled like a leaf. "When a witch feels very, very deeply for someone else they… form a bond with this other person, a bond where the witch's magic will reside in both the witch and… the one that the witch… _loves_, it's usually a voluntary process where both sides give permission, there have been occasional cases where a bond forms, taking everyone by surprise."

Raven finds it very hard to breath for a few scary seconds. "Normally, when the magic is in its dormant state other witches and some magic-users can only sense a bond like this through touch but when you light up… well…"

Raven took another a deep breath her eyes opened but her gaze kept to the top of the princess's skirt. "I-I'm sorry that I didn't tell you earlier but… Apple please believe me when I say that I kept silent to protect you and your chance at your fairytale… At the time keeping this a secret from you seemed like the best option! I didn't want you to worry for your future. I know that you were very hurt when I couldn't go through with signing the Book, but I knew at least that eventually another villain would be assigned to take my place… but then that whole debacle with the light happened and… you never got a choice. Everything is going to be all complicated for you now because I had failed to contain the situation… I had failed to keep my feelings for you to myself I-…"

Raven gathered up the courage to look the stunned princess in the eye. "Apple White… I am in love with you. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Apple, please forgive me." The witch sniffled tears starting to run down her cheeks.

Apple was silent for a moment, face unreadable. "Was that why you were so freaked out when that leprechaun began asking all of those questions?"

Raven sniffed some more, Ancestors she must look like a fool, at least when she was cursed not to cry she could pull off looking like as scolded puppy but still look composed, now she felt like a blubbering idiot.

"Your fairytale is about to become very complicated because of me Apple; in a lot of witch cultures it is not uncommon for those of higher rank or in a monarchy to acquire more than one spouse whether to gain more power or for political alliances. I wasn't nearly as concerned that anybody at Ever After High would be accusing you of just using me for my power because they knew about the strange light and would not place any sort of blame on either of us for something that weird throwing two people together, or of the visiting witches giving you trouble seeing as how they would know better than anyone else the stories of how the occasional bond is formed without either one, or the other, or both parties knowing it… but I failed to take into account the people who would be outside of those groups."

Raven looked down again her hands feeling heavy as lead in Apple's grip, any moment now the hitting and the screaming would begin. As Apple, being a princess and heir to the best story in the Book would have full rights to do for being stuck to a… Rebel. To add insult to injury she was also a witch, and former future villain… and, of coarse, a _girl_.

Through the roaring of her ears Apple did not know quite what to think. A few weeks ago she _would've_ been angry with the witch for withholding anything from her, and she was hurt she'd admit that much… but…

The princess sighed, stepping back to look at the situation the way a _queen_ would. First she looked at the one who was the most important factor here; analyzing Raven's fearful stance, the way she held herself as if expecting to be slapped.

The princess was beginning to realize with a sickening lurch of her heart that her past behavior of demanding everything from Raven and never giving anything back in return (her very shameful behavior this morning was just a harsh reminder that she still had a long ways to go to kick that particular nasty habit), definitely did some serious damage to the trust Raven had in the princess (if she had any trust in Apple at all). With a wince Apple realized that her automatic, utterly naïve, and… ignorant assumption that Raven would have become her very best friennemy and that all would be well and good after graduation without stopping to even consider Raven's feelings or actually stop her… bullying tactics (it was very hard admitting but there was no excuse for what she had been doing before the light) long enough to talk to Raven like she was a being with feelings and fears of her own instead of… someone who was long gone.

Apple had spent all those years going on like an ignorant idiot about fairytales and occasionally rubbing Raven's face into the fact that she had a happy ending and the witch didn't without even thinking for a moment about how hurt Raven always looked when she said those words (it was supposed to be teasing but obviously Raven did not see it that way. At the time Apple had stupidly hoped that Raven would come to see it as just teasing fun… but now, equipped with the knowledge of what being the Evil Queen really meant to the witch, Apple could've just slapped her idiot past self).

With a realization that nearly shattered the princess Apple suddenly came to the conclusion with a dawning horror that by acting like a _spoiled princess_ who was throwing one big tantrum because the witch didn't want to play her game instead of a responsible _future queen_ who should have sat the witch down and worked diligently to gain the other's trust enough to figure out that to Raven… there had been_ no_ fun game to play in the first place… that maybe back when it was just a simple matter of Royals versus Rebels, on some level… Raven perhaps had grounds to fear her.

"Raven look at me." Apple instructed moving closer, desperate to see if the witch feared her now, after everything that they had gone through. "I'm not mad, you don't have to be scared."

Raven timidly looked up reminding Apple of a cat that Elenore had rescued from an abusive home and had formed a very strong fear to all humans. The princess's heart dropped when Raven's gaze waivered as if expecting a trap.

"Hey, hey, shhh, none of that." Apple rested her forehead against Raven's squeezing her hands slightly as she focused on that warm bit of Raven's power inside of her and tried to mentally hold that too. She wasn't completely sure what she was doing but she did feel it when something warm and bright clicked into place at the back of her mind.

"Raven, were you afraid of how I was going to react?" Apple asked gasping when she felt emotions that weren't her own brush with her mind.

"I…" Raven gulped, yes that was definitely fear trickling through the link. "You are destined to be with Daring, a lot of human kingdoms frown upon things that witches do such as… well many of our traditions by default are subject to ridicule, being married to multiple people at the same time is a big one, same-sex marriages, and female rulers having a consort or a harem… that and the way that you were raised to believe those things about sex… to be honest I-I thought that you would be disgusted. Just as disgusted as many others would be… will be." Honesty, she was still deathly afraid (much to Apple's inner sorrow), but at least she was being honest.

Apple tilted her head in thought, was she disgusted with what witches considered normal? No. She was not oddly enough… or maybe it wasn't so odd considering that this was _Raven_ she was talking to.

Although it was perplexing as to why Raven would think that of all the things that Apple would be ashamed of, she had thought that the princess would be disgusted to have such a strong friendship bond between the two of them. If Raven loved Apple more than just a friennemy then that was a good thing, because Apple loved Raven more than just a villain. It may be socially and traditionally frowned upon by the strictest standards of fairytale personal conduct for a princess and her villain to be so close but that was hardly necessary now that Raven could no longer be a villain (the same standards for fairytales also went as far as to dictate who was allowed to marry whom, it would not do for the wrong fairytale characters to muddy the waters by producing children with conflicting bloodlines).

It had to be deep friendship that Raven was talking about of coarse, Apple mentally concluded, nearly giggling because Raven had been so nervous that her explanation about witch's hearts sounded a lot like the witch was in love-_love_ with the princess and not love-_friendship_. It was a good thing that Apple was so good at reading between the lines or else the situation would have been wholly embarrassing for the other.

"I have two uncles who are married, as well as several homosexual staff at home so you needn't fear my disgust towards that. And as you should have known already, I like witches; I'm crazy about them in fact. " The princess smirked at Raven's blush.

Apple smiled thinking back to that idea, that small spark of hope that she had that morning. Maybe this could work out for the better after all, since many friendships between races throughout history have proven to be the strongest and most world changing partnerships ever heard of, for herself and Raven… it kind of reminded the princess of the friendship bond between King Arthur and Merlin.

"I am a little bewildered about that other stuff but seeing as it is not of my culture, race, nor my place to put such things down… I think that I can learn to live with this." Apple gestured between them. "At the very least no one should dare say that it is "improper" for a princess to keep her favorite witch."

Apple felt Raven's brain screech to a stop for a split second before both outwardly looking and feeling as though the witch was wondering whether or not the princess was a real and existing being and not a hallucination.

Ah yes, Apple thought thoroughly amused, she could definitely get used to this.

"You do realize I just told you that this bond we share is considered to be the most intimate and profound connection that a witch can share with another… that I love you?" Raven said slowly trying to find out whether there was misunderstanding of some sort. Apple was being so… nonchalant about such an important and life altering subject that something must have been lost in translation.

"It's a lot like the connection between Merlin and King Arthur right?" Despite the question Apple knew for a fact that she was right. "They shared a strong bond that linked them through thick and thin just like us."

Raven blinked owlishly. "Where are you getting anything about a profound bond between those two hexactly?"

Apple's eye's glittered knowledgably. "Last I checked wizards do not often become apart of a human King's court without being paid or having something owed to them in return for their services. Well at least not willingly."

Raven would have rubbed her temples if she had her hands free; sure she had heard of the obvious homosexual hints in the official version of the particular story, and knew of the rumors of Merlin having warlock's blood in his ancestry, but she had never heard a hint of any witch's hearts (or in this case a wizard with perhaps a witchy mother or grandmother that contributed to his theoretical lineage) being dolled out.

"I'll have to trust your word on that for right now." Raven said intent on getting back on track. "So… yes… I suppose that's a lot like what we have… in some obscure sense. But still, you do realize that this could cause you problems I mean in a lot of countries and worlds… I might be considered your c-consort o-or _magical_ _friend with benefits_ as your human kingdoms tend to call it every time one of your monarchy decides to do something a little different."

"So this has happened in human kingdoms before?" Apple pushed weirdly intent for someone who was just told that their supposed _"friennemy"_ was madly in love with them.

"Yeah… my paternal grandmother keeps company with a mage, my old witch tutor, and a necromancer… I try not to think too much about it." The young witch shuddered at the mere idea of entertaining the notion of what her polyamorous grandmother did exactly when she and her "company" decided to meet up for a weekend at the King beachfront manor.

"I don't see why you are so horrified at the idea of your grandmother having friends Raven." Apple said turning her head to the other side as she analyzed that particular thrill of emotion coming from Raven.

Raven stiffened this time stepping back and getting enough room between herself and the princess to break the mental connection much to Apple's disappointment.

"This… what we have is a little bit more serious than a simple _friendship_ or… whatever it is that my grandmother does in her free time." Raven gaped ruffling her hands through her hair agitatedly.

"Yes I know." Apple stated without even a blink. "Which is why I am so happy that it has all turned out this way. I… understand how you were so worried about how this would affect my story, you being a former evil character and all, and although I am grateful that you did not hide this from me on a light whim… I am afraid that I have to inform you that your fears of me acting badly to this information about the witch's form of profound friendship bonds were completely unnecessary. It was _very_ sweet of you, but I am capable of handling shocking news just fine you know." The princess scolded, sure she might not have dealt with Raven's first rebellious act on Legacy Day very graciously but since then Apple had grown a thick skin to the witch's scandalous nature.

"Apple…" Raven said helplessly. "I just said that I love you more than anything in all of Ever After."

Apple smiled wide and proud at the witch's words. "And I love you too Raven, you are my best friend ever after. Now I may not know what the future has in store for us but I can definitely see a possible future where I can still get my fairytale and you can come right along with me if you'd like, this friendship bond of ours would mean that you don't ever have to go into hiding and you could either be a member of my court or be an ally of mine…" Apple stops herself fiddling with her fingers and glancing shyly at the witch from beneath her lashes. "You don't have to if you don't want to of coarse, but just so you know… this offer will always be open, and I'm sure that whatever…" Apple makes a pinched face. "_Respectable girl_ you decide to marry will be most welcome, it would be most fitting to have an acceptable Ladyship to your current title of queen… Queen Raven I mean, I'm not talking about your last name. Maybe you might find someone from my kingdom, we have a lot of unwed Ladies of superior stock."

Apple smiled brightly.

Raven stared back in shock.

Did… did Apple just suggest that Raven marry into one of Apple's Royal kingdom families… like the witch was in some sort of fancy novel and the princess was the guardian who wanted her charge to be married off to someone of acceptable breeding stock?

Yes, yes she _just_ did. _Oh Ancestor mother help her_…

Defeated and feeling far too exposed Raven hid her feelings behind a fake smile, accepted Apple's hug, and allowed her numb self to be guided back to the lawn where she could hear the faint victory song playing for Ever After High.

"Strange." Apple muttered as they walked across the lawn, she could no longer feel Raven's emotions… it was as if something were… blocking the princess's gentle prodding.

XXX

The three resident Wonderlandians jumped when a booming female voice yelled from above.

"_Sweet Ancestors of the dark depths of the freaking sea_, just how far does that child's obliviousness extend? Here Raven just laid out her heart and soul for the princess to pass judgment over, told the girl that she loved her more than anything in the world and she still manages to think that it's all just a simple friendship?"

"Now dear-." The male voice tried.

The female roared not caring about what the other had to say. "What's it going to take for those two to finally get together? Why do we have a stubborn witch who has a martyr complex and a princess who has been so sanitized from the realities of sex and romance that she can't see a love confession even when it literally bites her in the ass? Seriously Raven said; _I love you Apple and I have given my witch heart to you_. She finally told Apple that she loves her and what does Apple do? She fails to grasp the obvious meaning of those words, has the idiocy to think that it's just some sort of strong "friendship" confession, and proceeds to tell Raven that she is free to marry a _"respectable Lady" _from Apple's kingdom! Seriously, I've met _rocks_ who were less dense! _You_ were there, tell me; am I mistaken?"

"Well I-."

"That's right I am certainly not mistaken! I can't believe those two! I'm not even sure that anything _would_ happen when Kitty finally decides to stuff those two into a closet! Although with the way things are going right now I would not blame her for trying!"

"Does that mean we can help them out too?" A third narrating voice belonging to Brooke Page, the daughter of the two present narrators, pops up sounding excited.

"No." Was her mother's immediate response. "You know the rules Page, narrators cannot interfere, no matter how impossible the story is behaving."

"Too late." Said the male narrator spying three upturned faces of the Wonderlandians, the only race of people to ever gain the mysterious ability to hear the narrators.

"Whoops." Was the female's reply before all went silent.

"Her suggestion is duly noted." Kitty broke the stunned shock shared by the three.

"Where's Raven?" Maddie was all business, making to get up and climbing down the bleachers to the first aid tent.

Kitty saved her the hassle by grabbing her girlfriend around the waist and clutching her queen's hand in order to blink everyone down to ground level.

At first glance they could not see the witch and princess anywhere, she certainly was not in or around the first aid tent, there was a witch inside the structure but it was not their witch.

Kitty looked up, spying a guffawing Faybelle Thorn flying haphazardly back towards the cheerleader's bench toting a tote over her shoulder of suspicious leprechaunish origin. "What's the grumpy fairy doing? And what is up with the shamrock bag full of…" Kitty squinted, disappearing for a split instant before reappearing with bag in hand. "Medical supplies?"

"Even if we are too late for whatever evil plan that girl has concocted it would possibly be wise to put that back before anyone realizes that you have it." Lizzie suggested.

Kitty gave a brief nod, acknowledging that her queen made a good point and blinked out.

The search resumed even as the fans in the stands roared in victory for Ever After High.

Kitty reappeared next to Maddie. "Behind the stands. They're coming up from the lawn."

Little else had to be said for the hatter to start running leaving the other two to catch up from behind.

"There!" Lizzie pointed to the two approaching figures once the three had reached the area behind the bleachers.

From behind Apple, Raven seemed to perk up at the sight of the three Wonderlandians, grabbing her childhood friend into a desperate hug when the girl came near.

"When birds fly fast from the hunting net to the woven circle of downy sleep." Raven muttered to the hatter in riddleish her faked smile beginning to crack at the edges.

Lizzie's eyes widened, since the witch's desperate plea to get away from the area as fast as possible contrasted horribly with Apple's euphoric air.

"Well of coarse you'd be utterly exhausted from an eventful day like this one. There's no reason for you to be ashamed for it." The girl of hearts was quick to speak.

"We should be taking her back to the dorms right about now." Kitty agreed swiftly.

Apple paused looking closely at Raven with a fond smile. "Aw, are you tired sweetheart?" She crooned gently.

Raven winced her fake smile cracking away a little bit more as she shrugged apologetically.

"Well go on ahead and get some rest, you do have another busy day tomorrow. Don't worry, I'll cover for you." Apple waved as Kitty took that cue to transport Maddie and Raven out of there.

Lizzie who had been left with Apple watched in confusion as her friend began skipping her way back to the field and first aid tent.

The narrators had been uncharacteristically specific as to what had happened but Lizzie still needed to hear Apple's perspective from the princess herself.

"M-Miss Thorn, please forgive my brother, he has obviously been hit in the head far too hard for he would never say such inappropriate things!" A bandage covered Daring stuttered looking scandalized (well as scandalized as a half mummy, half bruised human love child could look scandalized).

"She got boobs." Dexter grinned deliriously from his table, his prone form allowing him to look upwards at Charlotte. "She not a guy, I still gotta chance, I still gotta chance."

Charlotte looked at Dexter as if she were really seriously contemplating the benefits of turning the boy into a bug. His cute sister however _had_ made her promise to take good care of her brothers until more people came to cart them home; the great female warrior herself along with her fellow comrades had been immediately invited by the opposing (now star-struck) team to be treated to a celebration of sorts for effectively making their coach (who was surprisingly not a leprechaun but a very short, very sexist human) succumb to lay weeping on the ground after the humiliating loss, no doubt he was mourning the fact that his tiny little brain had been shattered by the sheer awesome whoop ass the three female humans had delivered upon his team's heads.

"I assure you, boy, that your chances with me are subzero considering my preferences." Charlotte diligently reminded herself that the boy before her had indeed been hit pretty hard.

"Still gotta chance." Dexter hummed oblivious to his impending doom.

"Hello Charlotte~." Apple sang smugly as she entered the tent, Lizzie following close behind.

Charlotte raised a brow, oh great another mentally impaired individual, at the very least broken glasses boy had an excuse. "You are very chipper." The witch observed neutrally.

"That, Charlotte dear, is because Raven has told me the most wonder-fullest of news!" Princess Apple White smugly bragged.

"Oh really?" Charlotte leaned back looking nonchalant. "Do you mind if I ask as to what this wonderful news is?"

"Why of coarse you can silly Charlotte." Apple said with false politeness. "Raven has just informed me that I hold her witch's heart, which as you are well aware means that we share a friendship bond like the one that Merlin and King Arthur had." The princess turned her nose up at the other witch smugly.

The other three standing occupants looked at one another in confusion while Dexter continued to hum merrily to himself.

"Friendship? So… your consort is _just_ going to be your friend?" Charlotte asked a little dubiously, was this girl for real?

"Yes!" Apple stated puffing out her chest. "Daddy told me that consorts are special friends that help out their sovereign Lords. He said that they do one of the jobs that the squires and pageboys that belong to the husband of Snow White are trained to do, but instead of it being a small part of a job requirement to be the king's friend, a consort is a king's special friend by choice. I know that they are a really important part of a monarch's inner circle because when my grandfather was alive he used to take one of his many pretty Lady consorts to his room almost every night." Apple beamed.

The tent was deathly silent.

"Umm… Apple?" Daring asked his voice at a high pitch. "Is… it expected of me to have a page boy umm… special friend?"

Apple nodded. "Yes, but don't worry if you don't already have one from your kingdom Daring, on our wedding night one will be appointed to you to keep you company while I go to the clinic."

"Clinic?" Daring asked feeling an impending sense of dread.

"Well yes, as Snow White I must remain as pure as can be so measures will begin to be taken on the first night of our marriage to artificially conceive an heir so that the next generation can be born of purity as well. It's what my mother did with me when she married my father." Apple stated as if what she was saying was just another fact of life, and for her it was.

For Daring, it was not. "A… page boy…" He swallowed thickly looking very afraid.

"Oh don't be nervous." Apple assured confidently, as if she were coaxing a child to step onto the school bus for the first time. "I've met Guado, your appointed page boy- well I guess you couldn't really describe him as a boy in any context… but rest assured Daring; Guado may seem big and intimidating because he's almost seven feet and is super muscly, however he has always been really nice to me and he says that he can't wait to meet you."

"Oh." Daring replied weakly sounding as tiny as he felt.

Charlotte eyed Apple like the princess had just transformed into this described Guado whilst still managing to adorn the dress Apple wore. What hellish demons of the underworld decided to play their pranks and create a Royal family _that twisted up_?

Apple's fellow Royals, were thinking something along the same lines… just in more polite terms. Lizzie covered her mouth, but whether it was to hide her shock or laughter it was difficult to tell.

"Oh man." Dexter said quietly making his brother whimper because; _man_ was exactly what he was afraid of. He had nothing against what the current and former Prince Charming of the White kingdom did in the privacy of their chambers, nor did he discriminate against those fellas who preferred the same gender, but he for one liked women, not only that but… ever since it became a possibility for Raven and Apple to be together and that short time he spent wooing Cerise he… he started to want… more. He wanted to have a wife that he could love fully and to give her his all; he wanted a partner in life, not a title and a queen.

"I noticed that you said that consorts were traditionally for the _Lords _of your kingdom." Charlotte did not hide her judging tone.

"But it's perfectly normal for witch cultures for a queen to have one, Raven even said so, so since it is an acceptable part of her culture, and since she will be _my_ _consort_ in _my kingdom_ it will not be disputed." Apple nodded to the witch, she had mistakenly perceived the disagreeing tone in the witch's voice to be that of curiosity for Raven's wellbeing and thus tried to explain her reasoning.

Charlotte on the other hand was worried for Raven and she was not eased of any concern by the princess's words, she had heard some crazy rumors about royal families and their traditions but this… _this_ took the cone hat. Hex She was also beginning to worry for Daring as well and she barely said more than a few words to the guy.

Apple continued oblivious to the other's wide-eyed stares of disbelief. "It will be completely her choice to be so of coarse but should she choose to accompany me she will need to be installed into my court and, seeing as girls are her preference, it would be beneficial for her to marry a Lady of superior breeding stock to either bare Raven's witchlings or to help Raven bare her own."

Dexter made a chocked sound unable to believe his ears.

Charlotte couldn't believe her ears either; the question now was what was she to do about all of this? The princess was obviously very (impossibly, vexingly, sheer idiotically) oblivious, and she was obviously harming Raven because of her ignorance, which must be very frustrating for Raven because ignorant people, in Charlotte's experience were extremely difficult to be taught other ways of thought (such as her own ex-girlfriend).

There had to be some way to set things to rights with this situation, it wasn't like Charlotte could just leave a nice girl like Raven to deal with… that. Sure they had only known each other for one day but, hey, Raven kind of reminded her of herself when she was in love with a human.

And also actually getting to meet the other witch kind of inflated Charlotte's view of Raven from superstar status to something very close to (but a lot healthier than) hero-worship. After all not many had the gumption to take on hundreds of years of traditions and lead a revolution while still going to school right beside some of the most influential youth in all of Ever After.

Then again Charlotte also didn't have much of a choice in the matter since the princess was determined to let her jealousy control her and try to aggravate Charlotte… thus dragging her smack into the middle of Apple White's insanity…

Wait… maybe that was the answer… if the princess was utterly ignorant to other's feelings and customs but merely blinded by jealousy… it might work out in Raven's favor… and at the very least her cousin might be entertained enough to stop whatever she had been planning to sit back and watch her witchy cousin try her hand at being devious.

"Well." Charlotte drew up to her full height and seemed to put her persona into her shoulders effectively making her look even taller and gaining the full attention of the room. "Since my father is a high warlock priest and I am of the Thorn clan on my maternal side, my mother being the sister to the current Evil Fairy who has adopted the name Maleficent, an honorable birthright handed down from our beloved founding ancestor who used her fairytale magic to create the tale of Sleeping Beauty… I accept."

"Accept what?" Apple's good mood dropped into the icy abyss of dread.

"I am as you humans say; "of acceptable breeding stock" and therefore I accept your offer to become one of the first tentative candidates to woo the lovely Raven Queen to become my wife." Charlotte smiled at the princess coolly and yet again very charmingly, impressing Daring who was currently half-wondering if maybe there was a witch or warlock in one of the many different family clans at one point.

Apple glowed in quiet rage. "Your cousin would never-"

"Faybelle holds her family in high regard, she may not like it, but she will support me and she would never try to halt my decisions." The witch interrupts, glowing red at a higher intensity, a calculated effect that successfully makes the princess feel a little inferior. "And of coarse you do need a new villain in your story so I'm certain that if I can convince Raven to "pass off the torch" to my favorite cousin that would soften the blow considerably."

"What?" Apple seethed.

"My cousin will indeed be the most Evil Fairy ever." Charlotte mused. "A profitable alliance between our two clans in its own right, but for the last honorable Queen who has gained a place in the court of the second most powerful human family of Ever After, to be married into the Thorn family?" Charlotte made a low whistle. "That lovey is quite the deviously powerful alliance, one that even my mother and aunt would approve of with relish."

"You." Apple seethed. "You are just as evil as your cousin!" She spat for once speaking as if a villainous character was nothing but a horrible boil in the world that needed to be lanced off.

Charlotte chuckled bewitchingly, in a way that would make most fair maidens swoon. "Are you truly surprised princess? I am a Thorn after all."

The witch reduced her power, using it to levitate Daring instead. The boy squeaked in protest to the sudden loss of gravity. "I'll take this prince to his room to recuperate, you and your breathtaking Wonderlandian friend may take the other."

Before Apple could say a scathing word back Charlotte and Daring disappeared in a cloud of fairy dust.

"I don't gotta chance." Dexter sniffed miserably.

Apple cursed, in an entirely un-princess-like manor.

XXX

"Please Charlotte you cannot go through with this!" Daring pleads when the two of them materialize where the path forks off between the two dorm buildings.

"Rest assured prince my words had been all bark and no bite." Charlotte soothes calmly, looking much kinder than a moment ago. "It is quite rude in witch society to attempt to get in the middle of two who are bonded by the heart."

"Then why did you just say all of that?" Daring asks, still floating, still defensive.

Charlotte moves them forward. "Because I hold Raven Queen in high regards." The witch admits. "Amongst us kindred withes we admire those who bravely follow their hearts to pursue the things they strongly believe in, as well as those who have survived great suffering and gone forth to become better in spite of their pain. Since Raven Queen is an example of both she has already regained much of the honor her mother had ripped away from her family name."

Daring blinked in confusion, gesturing for the witch to continue. "Explain please?"

"It is obvious that your princess's at home education was sorely lacking to the point where her ignorance is harming others. If left alone with her misinformation about how the world works she will harm Raven… that is if it is not already too late…" Charlotte muttered. "It is a spur of the moment decision but… I think that the best coarse of action to take is to provoke Princess Apple White into an altercation with me. She seems to dislike me for seeming to be a perceived threat to what is hers, openly showing her true emotions while she is around me… so I am going to take Raven out on an innocent walk around the town and allow your princess to believe what she wishes."

"You're going to make her jealous." Daring translated.

"Isn't that what I just said?" Charlotte smiled smoothly, amused that all of those boring business classes designed mostly to use a lot of words to convey a simple sentiment was unconsciously coming out of her mouth so effortlessly. "But all fancy talk aside… I might know how Raven feels."

"You do?" Daring asked relieved that the witch was using shorter sentences. His head ached and it throbbed in time with the rest of his sore body, not the best condition to keep track of well versed talk.

"I fell for a human from a conservative background too." Charlotte spoke solemnly. "It was not at all like this situation but I do know how badly ignorance can hurt. She had come from a small conservative town that still believed that witches and other such beings were demons fit for the burning stake, but she had gained a scholarship to a semi-human academy close to my school and the benefits of a first-rate education outweighed the horror of being so near to other races."

Charlotte felt oddly lighter telling this willing stranger her woes, perhaps it was because she would probably never see him again after that week so… it was a "why not?" sort of situation.

"She had never been away from home before, never seen a witch before, never even contemplated that two girls could fall in love… so when I obliviously came across her at the local park and comforted her through her home sickness, I was something exotic, forbidden, and most importantly tempting."

Daring winced. "Did she use you as an experiment? Something that she could get away with because she was not at home?"

"You certainly know how to take a guess." Charlotte admitted. "Are you by chance psychic?"

Daring shrugged. "No, I've just… been around. Up two flights and the third door to your right." He instructed as they entered the boy's dorm.

"Thank you." Charlotte said gratefully. "She ended up choosing her prejudices over me and over her new friends, many of whom were not humans, when her parents and old friends started to press why she didn't have a human boyfriend or a truck load of human friends who hated other races just as much as they did."

"What happened when she chose them over you guys?" Daring asked. He knew that there were still little isolated pockets of particular communities out there who despised anything different, but growing up as a future Prince Charming he was exposed to a great many different cultures and races so that he could make a better king that would help rule a kingdom fairly. To be honest he could not fathom having so much hate stored up within himself for beings who were born just the way that they were and could not change to become something else.

"Dumped me in a slurring rage, started to push away her friends by becoming just as racist as her parents wanted her to be… and then she may have gotten together with her home town on-again-off-again boyfriend and his buddies to deface some property. She was promptly expelled and lost her scholarship." Charlotte sighed. "Faybelle was prepared to fly herself all the way down to curse my ex's entire town when she found out."

"She must care for you a great deal." Daring mused knowing that Faybelle didn't come to just anybody's defense. "I'm sorry about what happened, but trust me when I say that Apple is nothing like that… well she may be stubborn but she cares for her friends, she cares for Raven."

"Then you think that she will be willing to get out of her comfort zone? To fight for Raven?" Charlotte asks seriously.

"Definitely. Without a question." Daring nods.

"And you?" Charlotte asks. "What does the Prince Charming of this tale feel about giving his betrothed away to a witch?"

"I'm all for it!" Daring says enthusiastically. "A lot of people are all for it. It's kind of obvious that those two love each other. Apple and I… well we both care for each other… but it is not love, not the kind of love our founding ancestors had for their One True Loves. Actually it had been Apple's idea for the two of us to see other people until our fairytale began. So basically… we, both Apple and I, need for this thing between Apple and Raven to work out… for both of our sakes." He shuddered slightly, if he had been all for Raven and Apple to get together before, the description of Guado and the reality of exactly _what_ he would be marrying into… he was desperate now _to get out_ of this betrothed marriage.

"Then just let me do my thing and hopefully before I leave something fruitful will come out of this." Charlotte waits for the boy to unlock his dorm door before floating him over to be deposited on a bed.

"Thank you." Daring said. "But as a warning; we've been trying to get those two together for weeks so it won't be easy."

The witch smirked bewitchingly. "I like challenges."

XXX

"…And that's essentially what I overheard." Tiny told the small assembled group of Rebels gathered at the outdoor café plaza. It was close to twilight now; the leprechauns had finished congratulating the winning team's female athletes (plus Briar who had heard the word, _party,_ and had tagged along enthusiastically) and had boarded their bus to go home when Tiny and Hunter had called in an emergency meeting of the most active Rebels and a select few extra guests, the topic concerning Raven.

The present Rebels were also unofficially known by the Royals as the _Rebel faction's top nine lieutenants_, a very formal title that many in said group found hilarious considering all that they really did was show up to almost every meet and greet and hang out for the most part. Obviously the Royals had been reading too much into their own legends of how ancient kings would conduct business. Only seven of the nine were present; Maddie had hexted back that she was looking after Raven, and Cupid had said that she was going to check up on Dexter before going back to her dorm to take care of her roommate who had fallen ill with the flu and was currently on bed rest.

"I now have far more respect for Daring and all those other Royal princes than ever before." One of the Merry Men murmured in horror. "I still don't want to be a Royal but still… dude."

There were a few muffled hysterical giggles and grunts of sympathy that followed his statement.

Ginger took off her glasses to rub her eyes completely serious. "So let's see if I've got this right; Apple had said that Raven had confessed to her that sometime during that mysterious light thing Raven had given Apple her witch's heart?"

"Yes." Said Tiny nodding enthusiastically.

"Well that confirms what went on in the lunchroom." The witch muttered referring to the incident where Apple lit up with Raven's magic in front of the entire school.

"…And you are saying that Apple has some… very misinformed concepts of what a consort and a witch's heart actually mean?" The pink haired girl looked to the giant feeling flabbergasted and a little frustrated on Raven's behalf.

"Yes… well I think. I'm… not so sure what witch's hearts mean hexactly but I do know what a consort is… and that is definitely not just a friend so…" The giant trailed off, nervously looking to the present witch for guidance. "D-do you know what it means?"

Ginger sighed heavily putting her glasses back on, finger lingering on the bridge as she cleared her throat awkwardly.

"Everyone should know what _true_, True Love is right?" Cautious nods all around. "Well that's essentially what happens when a witch gives someone their heart… only it's less deadly if it all goes wrong… _usually_ less deadly actually, it… depends on the situation. But I highly doubt that Raven would ever let herself die from a broken heart… _right?_" Ginger looks around to the wide-eyed stares feeling unsure and worried.

"Right." Hunter said his voice steady and clear. "Raven's too strong to let herself be blown out by a princess who has already pledged her life to a fairytale." He grumbled, sounding slightly bitter, and oh so very protective.

"Just because it's… her witch's heart does not mean that she can't find a more fulfilling love with someone else." Briar added looking tired, not tired in a sleepy way, just tired in a frustrated sort of way.

"You knew about this?" Tiffany accused, not sounding very surprised.

"Yes Tiffany." Cerise clasped Briar's hand in her own. "Everyone, except for Apple, who was in that room knew about it."

Soft murmurs and nervous looks are exchanged. The confirmation that a certain group of six had known something wasn't all that shocking, _however_ the news that Raven had fallen so far in love with the leader of the Royals _was_ very shocking.

"Is this what Raven had told you? At that meeting a while ago you had said that Raven had wanted to assure us that even though things were complicated that… that she was _not dying_. You knew about this too?" Tiffany asked Ashlynn and Hunter sounding somewhere between hurt and curious.

"Yes." Ashlynn mirrored Cerise by grasping Hunter's hand.

"Why all the secrecy?" The blonde asked. "I know that there is a good reason for all of this because Raven does not take these type of situations lightly but… why not just… tell the truth?"

"Because the truth would have hurt Apple." Briar sighed earning everyones attention.

"Hey Briar… are you sure about this?" Cerise whispered in the princess's ear as another murmur erupted around the joined cluster of tables.

"There's no point in keeping that much a secret from them, the only thing to do now is damage control." The princess squared her shoulders and stood up, looking at everyone present in the eye.

"Raven loves Apple White. She loves that girl so much that she is willing to let Apple go, to let Apple find a way to have her fairytale… even if it means losing Apple forever. You guys probably already know that Raven is way too nice to ever tell anybody what they can or can't do with their lives… and she'd never want to cause Apple pain. That is the only reason why she was so willing to live with all of those lies; it's because she does not want Apple to have to settle anything less than the fairytale happy ending we all know Apple has wanted since she was very small. Raven is willing to live through the heartache and she is willing to let Apple believe those lies because she knows that if and when Apple finds out that she is bonded to a love struck witch and not a Prince Charming… she will be devastated." Briar states severely, looking ragged and almost feral under her usual royal glam.

There are a few passionate curses, looks of pity, and Tiny begins to sniffle, dabbing at his misty eyes with a giant sized hankie. Ashlynn leans over to pat the giant's leg; it was just like the big softy to be sympathetic to Raven's plight.

Briar stands up straighter looking stern. "Raven may not have intended to become the leader of the Rebels, starting this entire Rebel vs. Royal conflict was just a side effect of an act that was more self defense than active malicious intent, but she did not back down from you when you formed and she's still not going to leave you stranded now, even through this whole mess. Raven cares for you, all of you, I just want to make that very clear right here right now."

There is silence amongst the audience, the princess's serious tone and the way that she, Apple's best friend and a perceived Royal, had defended their beloved Rebel leader gave them all pause.

"Raven has always said that everyone has the right to choose their own path." Tiny begins still sniffling. "She said that included the Royal's right to follow their destiny if they really wanted to. I know that is the common misconception about her, a lot of Royals think that she wants to take away their traditions, but that's not true. There are still plenty of people who are willing to act out those stories, and some of us Rebels might be willing to play out parts that we weren't born into… or not play a part at all, that's our choice."

The giant fiddled his toes together as he sniffled a little harder. "It actually makes sense for Raven to let Apple believe that she'll still get a fairytale… that she and Raven are just friends… actually I think that the only time that Raven has done anything for herself is when she refused to sign the Book of Legends and started freely acting like her true, really nice, self. The rest…" He sobs a little. "The rest of it has been for our benefit, she stayed here at this school and allowed herself to become our figurehead so that she could shoulder the blame and protect us from most of the social fallout from others."

The Rebels seated around the clustered tables all nod sagely, knowing that the giant spoke the truth.

Briar relaxes by margins throughout the giant's speech. "So… you guys… you're all alright with Raven? … And her… unique predicament?" She asks, looking a little weary at the easy acceptance.

She gains a sober laugh from around the table.

"You can relax Briar." Cerise smiles in an easy way that makes said princess feel warm and comforted. "We're Rebels, by definition we are all entitled to rebel against what others expect of us. Just because Raven is our leader doesn't mean that we don't expect her to have her own life and ways of doing things. If we had wanted a monarch to rule us and a monarch for us to look up to like a deity, we would have commandeered a store mannequin, put a crown on it's head, and named it Bob." This earns more smothered laughter at the pointed inside joke.

"We just want Raven to find happiness for her ever after." Tiffany states through an on-slot of residual giggles.

When Briar looks at the younger girl in disbelief Tiffany smiles cheekily at the princess before taking a deep breath to speak. "In the end, Raven is our friend and equal so if there's anything that we can do for her, we are willing to do whatever we can for her." The blonde says on a more serious note, though she is still fighting back her giggles.

Briar looks around the smiling faces feeling bewildered, she had been expecting to have to possibly soothe over some ruffled feathers or even have to halt a potential coupe to overthrow Raven… but this looked more like a gathering of friends than a council meeting of Rebels. Her gaze stops at Ashlynn who just shrugs as if to say that she knows and understands what Briar is thinking but her worry is unnecessary because this is _really_ how things are in the Rebel faction, before gingerly laying her head onto Hunter's shoulder and beams when he immediately wraps his arm around her and nuzzles her hair.

"I'm glad, because that's just what Raven needs right now; support from her friends." Briar admits sitting down carefully and blinking at the assembled group in awe.

So this is what Raven had created? These people were the often-feared Rebel group that had many Royals whispering fears of things dissolving into bloody revolution; of the horror stories all of the current future monarchs had been told as children? Sure it had been a nervous "joke" (a lie even to themselves seeing as the "joke" was told mostly in fear) in the beginning that the newly formed Rebel faction would follow the evil Raven Queen to the streets and begin burning and killing things… just like how rebels had done things in the far past… but as time moved on and the Rebels had seemed to take pains not to lift a single finger in violence, most Royals began to think that it was just a phase that people were going through and, like oblivious little fairy puffs (which was an ironic comparison because although Raven never showed fear towards the Royals, she had it on good authority from Apple that the witch was utterly petrified of the actual fuzzy fairy creatures), many of the Royals had started acting like the whole Rebel vs. Royal conflict was just a game.

Briar nearly scoffed at such ridiculous notions, now that she had seen the Rebels in their true, relaxed form, the princess could now see that the reason that Rebels weren't violent was because they did not need to be. Why cause destruction and mayhem when you could just bide your time, get an education, and simply walk away from signing the Book and never show up to complete the story.

It was a brilliant concept, and because of it's simplicity, an unstoppable plan, because what Royal in their right mind was willing to try and hunt down an unwilling character and try to force them into their role? All the Rebel had to do was sit down and do nothing, and if any act of force were brought down upon them the universal laws of the _peace act_ would demand that all parties involved in the abuse would have to face legal penalties. That and, if Raven's theory proves true, the fact that no one is disappearing, and the world is not collapsing would not win the Royals any support from the public if any forceful action was taken.

The part of Briar that was ruled by strategy and Royal training was seriously wondering why Apple would ever view marrying anyone but a prince as a bad thing? Because Briar knew for a fact that Daring was certainly not cunning enough to organize something like this. The most Daring knew how to do in ruling a kingdom was public relations and looking pretty. That's it. There was no financial, political, or emotional gain for a White to marry a Charming (and a distant relative at that) of Daring's caliber. If it weren't for the story, Daring's tiny kingdom (which only kept the monarchy in place for show only, the people had a democratic government) would probably have never even been a blip of the more powerful family's radar and the whole arrangement would have been viewed as Apple marrying down (way down, like almost to commoner level). Hex, Apple didn't even have a crush on him, let alone _love_ the idiot.

Raven on the other hand would have been a far more logical choice for a spouse, not only did Apple care deeply for the witch but she also had numerous financial and political advantages towards a union of that caliber. Also Raven was cunning, the witch was able to safely keep the Rebels at Ever After High without anybody being banished or for there to be bloodshed. Cunning and smart was a far greater asset in a spouse than whether or not he can sit pretty and smile charmingly.

Spinning needles, she was starting to sound like her great aunt.

Which was fine, because her mother did not like her husband's knowledgeable relative.

Cerise nods to Briar breaking the princess from her musings. "Hexactly, the best thing that we can do for Raven right now is to be there for her if she needs us. The rest…" The hooded girl sighs. "The rest will all be up to Raven and Apple so the most that we can do with that is sit back and see how they'll make it through this."

"So in other words, we are not to interfere with our own agendas." Darling confirms and everyone casts a glance to Hunter who is looking at the sky with false innocence.

Ashlynn can't help but snicker at her boyfriend's comical expression. "We'll support Raven no matter what the situation, whether by some miracle that Apple comes to the conclusion that the rest of the school has probably already deduced by now, and decides that Raven is actually a good catch… or if Raven's heart gets captured be someone else…" The shoe-loving princess casts a coy look to a blushing Cerise's direction. "We'll definitely be there for her."

The table erupts in a round of "ayes" and that was all that needed to be said about that.


	9. The one with all the maybe's

Author's note (read it, or not, either one's fine by me)

Denial, it agn't pretty folks. I know that it may seem a little over the top in Apple's case but the sad thing is that I have seen people way farther gone than how I have written this character to be.

Ever met someone who believed that the _holocaust of World War II_ did not happen?

Trust me, as a descendant of the people who had survived the holocaust, who has relatives that had been gassed/tortured/experimented on, _that_ was not a fun experience.

It had been interesting to write about though; it was great practice writing about someone who was that selectively oblivious.

On other matters Dexter is going to be a jerk for a while, but don't hate him too much because I'm planning on a side story where he wizens up and knocks it off. So keep that in mind.

Yes _that_ particular job was what the pageboys and the squires were required to do, you couldn't exactly bring a prostitute out to the battlefield. Poor Daring, feel pity for him.

There does seem to be a lot of mentions in this fic about polyamory and harems, well a lot more than I had first intended, but it would make sense for there to be a clash of several different cultures in a school made up of various races. Each culture would be uniquely different, and have different concepts regarding marriage, child rearing, etiquette, ect…

Let's hope that things start to wrap up soon (because it has become obvious to me that the characters in my brain have taken a mind of their own and are doing things as they please) I would like to try to get this finished by the end of the summer.

Thanks for the reviews! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

XXX

The one with all the maybe's

XXX

"Did you catch him?" Apple stood grim-faced in front of her mirrorphone, which was propped up with some books on her desk.

"Yes and… no." Snow White sighed looking miffed. "The good news is that we were able to almost completely break up KEQ once we gathered all of the evidence and managed to capture Ian E. Moon, the man you described turned out to be the actual leader of KEQ who had gone by the code-name "I am no one", and he was the same man we had found in that old police record of Raven Queen's attempted kidnapping."

Apple's eyes narrowed. "I'm sensing a "However" and "the bad news is" coming up. Mom you almost never beat around the bush, what's going on over there?"

The queen let out a deep breath through her nose. "Ian E. Moon turned out to be a golem, a golem minion created by the Evil Queen herself, for reasons yet to be known she had actually founded the KEQ group for the apparent purpose of kidnapping Raven Queen directly after your fairytale and…" Snow White inhales again, working hard to keep her calm. "She was planning on injecting Raven with the same poisoned curse that now threatens many worlds, including Wonderland."

Apple's chest and belly hardened to ice.

"How is she?" Snow White asked her appearance melting into concern. "It's… been awhile since the last time I had seen her, and after that whole destiny changing business I'm worried."

"You were there when they rescued her." It was a statement; there really was no question in Apple's mind.

Snow White raised a brow smiling slightly. "My aren't you becoming quite the observer. How did you figure it out?"

"Before… before the light broke that curse Raven could not cry, I remember you telling me to never hold back if I could help it, that was unusual considering future monarchs are trained to rarely ever cry unless it was apart of the story. There's the fact that you have always asked after Raven when I called home even before we were roommates. And I highly doubt that Elenore would not have some way of keeping track of her own granddaughter… you know the reason why she had kept her distance from Raven and I'm guessing that you know who Raven's father is." The princess stared down her smirking mother with a raised brow of her own.

"Guilty as charged." The Queen admitted not sounding very sorry. "Elenore knew that her daughter was not right in the head, that she would not be a fit mother, so while the Evil Queen was pregnant they struck a deal; the Evil Queen would leave the baby to be raised solely by her father and as long as Elenore did not go near Raven, neither would the Evil Queen. Elenore had her ways of keeping tabs of coarse, she wasn't a fool to believe that her daughter would keep her word, but then one day when you two were just about to start in the first grade… well I'm certain that you already know by now that the Evil Queen had broken the truce."

Apple swallowed thinking how sad she had been when Raven hadn't shown up for the first day of school, how… different Raven was once she had returned for spring semester, quieter, more… terrified of everything, probably petrified when Apple would try to chase her down at recess so that they could play out the story, the one where Raven would play the same part as…

Raven was still beautiful to Apple, the princess quickly turned her thoughts to the night no more than a week ago when Raven had allowed for the princess to see her scars, and although the healed tissue had been painful to look at it did not detract from the smooth contours of the witch's back and neck, the softness of her belly, the perfect curve of her hips as they transitioned to her legs, her bare breasts had developed beautifully in spite of the thin faded scars around her chest…

If Apple had been braver the princess would have soothed over the witch's anxieties about her scars with her hands, touching Raven and gently massaging every healed mark until the other was reduced to nothing more than pudding in Apple's arms.

Maybe there might be a chance for that, later, once she had gained enough of Raven's trust and perhaps… it could happen if Raven accepts Apple's offer to become her consort. If the witch accepted her offer then that meant that the witch might trust her enough to touch her, soothe her… maybe…

These thoughts were… odd; the princess had never really pondered what it would be like to be so physically close to someone before, and yet the more that Raven let her in, the more that the witch began to trust her, the more and more Apple began wanting to get as physically close as possible to Raven.

The princess cleared her throat as she shook herself out of those thoughts, feeling embarrassed for some unnamable reason. "What about you? How did you come into all of that?"

Snow White nearly grimaced at the memory. "No more than a day after Raven had been kidnapped her father had come to me and begged for help. They needed a purified sample of the Evil Queen's magic in order to track her down and since I had ingested her poisoned apple I had a bit of her power still residing in my bloodstream… it had taken a while, far too long if you ask me, before we were able to pinpoint her location, and even then it had been difficult to mobilize forces to get to Raven."

"What had stopped you?" Apple demanded nearly sounding angry.

"Wonderland." This time Snow White did grimace. "Our contacts had discovered the Evil Queen's plans to poison the land so almost all of our resources went to the evacuation and the desperate attempts to halt the curse's progress… that's when Elenore decided to brave her daughter alone in order to save Raven… to save her only her granddaughter." The two women looked away from one another for a moment, although Raven's confirmation of Elenore's death had brought some closure it still hurt.

"She was so tiny." Snow White confessed. "That's was my first thought when we managed to get her out. I know that this whole Royal vs. Rebel conflict at your school was troubling to you dear but… to tell you the truth I'm relieved that Raven had managed to get passed that awful period of time enough to find her confidence."

"Tell me what condition Raven had been in." Apple demanded quietly.

Snow White shook her head. "Oh Apple I don't think-"

"Please." Apple's voice was hoarse. "I need to know mom. I-I've been… selfish, demanding her to sign the Book without even thinking to sit her down and ask why she was so afraid… I've been ignoring her obvious pain for way too long and because of that she's too nervous to tell me anything herself."

The two held a silent staring contest before the elder sighed, giving in.

"She had bandages all over her body that covered her old wounds, parts of her were attached to this machine that was circulating some sort of magical mixture into her blood, her mother had taken pains to ensure that Raven's body was healthy enough to survive the treatment and there were a few toys and a mirror that she could watch children's programs on, but oh it was obvious that Raven was terrorized beyond belief. She didn't recognize that she was being rescued at first so she had put up quite the fight when our agents got to her." Snow White chuckled. "She was a tough baby, managed to rough up both our head security advisor and a warlock before they were able to calm her down."

Apple snorted a little wetly. "Was a tough baby? She's still pretty tough when she wants to be." Apple paused, biting her lip. "Well the machine you described certainly answers the question about the rounder scars on Raven's body, but what about the long thin ones?"

"We believe that those had come from a ceremonial knife with a obsidian blade used to gather blood for some sort of forbidden dark ritual." The queen couldn't quite look her horrified daughter in the eye. "Due to obscure texts and diagrams found at the scene showing exactly where to make the cuts… we believe that she was fashioning Raven into a super weapon. Perhaps trying to resurrect the same evil that had nearly destroyed our world before the Book of Legends was created to counteract it."

"A weapon…" Apple tried to imagine Raven Queen going on a destructive rampage… she just couldn't see it.

"Raven's fine." Apple said answering the elder's earlier question. "She's incredibly busy but she's doing well despite her condition."

Snow White smiled looking far more relaxed. "That's good to hear dear. Say… by perchance did Raven, I don't know, tell you anything special as of late?" The elder blinked innocently at the princess.

Apple cast her mother a half-heated annoyed look. "You know that it disturbs me when you read my mind."

"All part of the job of being a mother dear." Snow White's smile morphed into a smirk.

For once Apple did not mind her mother's disturbing abilities in observation, the memory of what happened earlier that afternoon caused the princess to smile dopily. "She told me that I hold her witch's heart."

Snow White beamed. Good. Her daughter could finally start making plans for the future with her True Love by her side. "Ah so the two of you are together now."

Apple giggled. "Oh mom Raven and I have always been together, and now with this witch's bond of deep friendship that we share I can be friends with Raven forever after."

Snow White froze, staring at her daughter in disbelief. "Friendship sweetie?"

The princess nodded enthusiastically. "Raven said that she would be considered my consort, and that in witch societies it's normal for queens to have some, which is hextacular because now Raven can stay my super special friend and have a legal royal title."

The princess beamed at her mother, her mother stared back, realizing that Apple was not joking she ran her hand through her hair in exasperation.

"Apple, dearest, you do know what consorts are expected to do right?" The elder asked tentatively.

"Be the king's closest friend and advisor of coarse." Apple replied immediately. "Daddy told me all about it when I had asked him why grandpa kept taking different pretty ladies into his chambers every night."

Snow White barley breathed. "Apple, you were five when he told you that."

"Yes, and I remember it perfectly." The girl replied coyly playing into what she thought was a game with her mother.

"And, uh, your tutors… what had your tutors to say about… consorts and page boys and… concubines?" Snow White asked faintly.

It was normal for the male White family members to have lovers on the side, expected even; the only stipulation with the female lovers was that they could not bare a child with their king. That was solely the queen's job.

Snow White bit her lip as she waited for her daughter, who was eyeing her strangely, to answer her question. The king and queen were not expected to give their daughters the talk about reproduction; that was always the job of the tutors for they were learned scholars and therefore it was their job to inform their princess of the process, the terms, and the possible expectations that might arise from the future husband on the wedding night, and it was also their job to instruct Apple how to inform Daring ahead of time of the near two centuries old White family tradition of artificially inseminating the newly dubbed Snow White to ensure that the princess was kept pure and for the first child to be born pure.

They also used magic to ensure that a daughter was born; it was far more efficient to have a daughter right away to carry on the family fairytale. There was a time where one of their ancestors birthed six boys and no girls; the situation was so dire that they nearly had to have a boy Snow White. Thankfully the queen at the time was able to birth a girl as her seventh child, it had cost the queen her life, but she did it (birthing six children does do a number on the female body after all). It was after that incident that one of Raven's ancestors had taken pity upon the grieving family and offered the king, who was making a fuss about not allowing his only daughter to suffer the same fate as his beloved wife by not letting her sign the Book of Legends or get married at all, a solution developed centuries ago by her fellow race of witches, to ensure that his daughter, her daughter and the daughter after that would not have to be met with the same tragic fate as that particular Snow White.

"Well…" Apple started, looking at her mother strangely. "When I told my nanny that I already knew about consorts and what daddy had told me he said that daddy was a wise man for putting things in that perspective. Pageboys and concubines… are used to sate our husband's bodily needs so that we may remain innocent and fair if we so choose. I know for sure that I'll always try to be as fair as possible so I'll never have to call upon Daring to preform that icky… task."

The princess made a disgusted face before turning back to her mother. "Why are you asking me strange questions?"

Snow White sighed in relief, okay at least her daughter knew two out of the three acceptable professional job titles for taking care of a man's wiles. But still…

"Apple when Raven said that she would be seen as your consort I believe she meant that she would be seen as your lover." The queen explained cautiously.

Apple stared off into space for a moment her head tilting to the side as her brain worked at that particular statement.

"Well… I suppose… from what I've heard that amongst witch societies the topic of intimacy is something viewed more liberally than most human ones… come to think of it that does explain a lot of Raven's anxiety when she told me about this whole witch's heart business…" Apple shrugged it off, much to her mother's disbelief. "Don't worry mom, and like I have already said to Raven; I can handle implementing concepts of both cultures into each other without making things awkward between us. I can have my fairytale and I can have Raven; likewise Raven can still be my friend and have her happy ending." The princess spoke, so certain of herself that it almost could've made a lesser mortal become lulled into a false sense of calm.

It was times like these when Snow White wished that Elenore were still here, when she was still alive, the woman had a way of putting things into a perspective that Apple seemed to pick up on without difficulty. It _would_ have been her job to instruct Apple on such matters, Snow White had insisted upon it actually, after the witch had helped herself and her homosexual husband come to an arrangement that not only allowed the both of them to be happy but for everyone to still follow the strict rules of tradition (which had been a feat, for the witch never did mince words with how she viewed the traditions of the humans in their story; she had said that it was utterly ridiculous to have arranged marriages without the promise of a decent divorce afterword or how sexist it was that the court frowned upon a Snow White having a lover of her own on the side); it was only natural to request that Elenore help raise Apple.

It was obvious that the princess was either subconsciously refusing to process the link between lovers and consort… or that was how her daughter actually viewed the world…

That was a scary thought. Snow White made a note to have a few words with Apple's former nanny…

"I plan to make Raven apart of my court… that is if she accepts my proposal." Apple confesses gaining back the attention of her mother. "I can take care of her then… I can ensure that she can have the ability to find a cure to the Evil Queen's poison, that she gains the respect she deserves… I can provide her with an exceptional bride from one of our kingdom's unwed ladies, and maybe… maybe I can save her from disappearing." Apple's voice cracks a little.

"She could become apart of another fairytale, but as a good character this time… or maybe she is strong enough to create her own story." The princess spoke desperately. "Raven is strong. If she can forge her own tale then… can you imagine it mom? If that is possible then there is no doubt that Raven's story would be wonderful, perhaps just as wonderful as the tale of Snow White… if I can just find out a way to make it possible then Raven could be saved."

Snow white opened her mouth, wanting to tell her daughter that, yes, there was a way for the two of them to have both a fairytale and a happy ending but bit her tongue. It was too dangerous to tell her daughter of the True Love bond, as much as it pained her to watch the princess and witch dance around one another she could not breathe a word.

Even so she should at the very least subtly clue her daughter into what having a witch's heart _actually_ meant. Maybe. With hope…

But then again her daughter did seem rather keen not to be… _"Tainted"_ or do anything that would result in her being any less _"pure"_ than the original Snow White. If she was not willing to consider going that far with her betrothed future husband (when Snow White was her daughter's age she had considered it, she was a healthy hormonal teenager and her prince was extremely hot after all, it had been healthy to feel a bit of lust, but when her prince had turned out to be gay that particular expectation of their marriage of course never happened; for Snow White ultimately cared about her husband as more of a best friend than a lover. Their friendship was what got them through all of these years of being co-rulers and it was because of the lack of _romantic_ feelings towards one another that Snow White found it rather difficult to feel jealous over Raoul, her husband's Pageboy. It did help that Raoul was a fun guy and that he treated Apple like she was his own child) then could that mean that when her daughter finds out about the _true_ implications of Raven being her consort… her future wife… would her daughter still shrug her shoulders and ignore the other's feelings by insisting that they were just friends?

She had known that it troubled her daughter greatly to be born with her father's blonde hair instead of her mother's (customarily expected) black hair, but to have her fears about not being _fair_ enough for her fairytale get to the point where she was ignoring the obvious?

She had a sneaking suspicion that talk with Apple's former nanny was going to end up with the man's _immediate dismissal without a reference_.

_Damn_ she missed Elenore.

"I'm sure that the two of you can get through this just fine." The queen began, thinking of the examples of lesbianism Elenore had taught to her when she was young. Back then all topics of romance had embarrassed her and the witch had been incessantly determined that she learn the basic facts of homosexuality, that it was perfectly normal, and that it was her _duty_ as a _best friend_ to get over her embarrassment of the whole thing and tell her Prince Charming that he had nothing to be ashamed about.

Elenore always did have a soft spot for Apple's father, like herself the witch was there for his birth too, and whenever his family brought him over to the White kingdom for business the witch treated the boy like he was already apart of the family.

They all missed Elenore very much.

"Maybe you should do some research into past tales of witch's heart bonds… I'd suggest the tales of the great witch goddesses Diana and Britomaris, and that you read _Hymm of Aphrodite_ by the witch poet Sappho for starters."

Apple hummed in approval. "There will be some students from Hathor Witch Academy coming tomorrow… maybe I can ask one of them if they have any recommendations."

Snow White, who had repaid the Grand Coven a favor by convincing Headmaster Grimm (aka discreetly threatened to direct a few former Evil Queen's directly to his office on official White family business if he did not comply) to allow the weeklong visit, smirked.

"You do that dear, I'm certain that you learn everything that you need to know." Snow White informed her daughter cryptically.

XXX

"I give up." Raven sighed dejectedly into Maddie's bed sheets; her voice came out a bit muffled due to the small pile of blankets she had buried herself under. There had been no tears while she had explained what had happened between her and Apple and there weren't any tears now, the witch was just too wrung out of emotions for her body to even get the tiniest bit misty-eyed

"I thought that you had already given up before you even started." Kitty asked with her usual blunt nature, but she was obviously concerned by what she had just been told because she was doing some creatively rude hand gestures to, _Ears,_ one of the main Wonderlandian deities of communication and sharpshooting (it was believed that the three main gods of Wonderland were in constant confusion with each other due to each one having lost one of the three abilities to communicate normally after losing badly to a ridiculous bet. The deity _Ear_, was deaf; _Eyes_ was blind; and _Mouth_ was a mute… as far as Raven could discern the three god's followers sarcastically wrote over their original names in just about every temple and book because they were not very amused when things became even more insane than usual for a while until a new system to communicate with one another was eventually figured out).

"I'm talking about giving up worrying about whether or not Apple will find out about the whole _"True Love"_ thing or not." Raven clarified, her hand slid over her face. "I told her point blank about my feelings and she… pulled her own interpretation out of nowhere. Honestly I'm starting to wonder whether or not she is _capable_ of believing that I care for her… way more than a friend."

"Raven…" Maddie bit her lip, trying to find a way to put things delicately. "I know that Apple can be pretty oblivious at times but… are you sure that she wasn't umm… acting?" The hatter who was sitting on her bed behind Raven rubbed the witch's back apologetically.

"Yep I'm sure." Raven confirmed not offended in the least. "Apple is the worst liar I have ever met. It was all part of the whole "fairest of them all" complex that was programed into her from the time she could talk, she may be able to deflect like a pro but when faced point blank with something… well, let's just say she has some obvious tells."

Earl Grey who had seated himself beside the plate of comfort chocolates laid out in preparation in front of Raven's face, paused in his idle munching to sympathetically pat the witch's eyebrow.

"Thanks Earl Grey." Raven smiled fragilely at the mouse.

Maddie shared a look with Kitty; it could very well be possible for Raven to be right about Apple, the narrators did compare the princess's mental capabilities to that of a rock after all, but on the other hand Apple was capable of lying pretty well on the rare occasions when she needed to, so either Raven was choosing to believe Apple's lie… or the princess really was that dense.

Neither Wonderlandian could respond because there was the sound of a quick knock at the door, seconds before someone tried to open said locked door, the doorknob jiggled and there was a muffled; "Off with you-" and Kitty quickly materialized by the threshold to open the entrance door just in time to see Lizzie Hearts raise her hand in preparation to slice down said offending door.

"Thank you." The blushing future queen scurried in, making a b-line to Raven once she had spotted the huddled girl.

"Hey Raven." The girl of hearts greeted unusually gentle. "I found out that you had confessed your feelings to Apple and… are you alright?" Lizzie leaned down to gingerly brush the witch's hair behind her uncovered ear, looking like a very worried mother dragon.

"I'll live." Raven told her before the witch stopped to process what the other had said. "But umm… how did you find out hexactly?"

Lizzie described what had happened, from the narrator's booming complaints, to Apple heartily swearing Charlotte's name to the pits of the lowest hell the entire time as they carted Dexter back into his room, and all the way to the girl's dorms where they had parted ways.

"…Ok I'll admit that I feel a whole lot better now." Raven peeked at Lizzie from beneath a pile of blankets and over a plate full of half eaten chocolates. Earl Grey was making cute little squeaks as he giggled at Daring's potential future.

Kitty laughed heartily from her perch in the rafters, stopping long enough to try to imitate Apple. "Oh Daring, Guado, your royal "body servant" can't wait to service you." The cat girl positively cackled.

"Now I can see why he's so keen for me to marry Apple." The witch mused feeling a little dazed.

"It's more likely that he just has more of a reason to get you and Apple together now." Lizzie corrected looking a bit dazed herself.

Maddie muffled her laughter into Raven's blanket covered back.

The mood of the room lightened considerably since the appearance of Lizzie, and the future Queen of Heart's retelling of that afternoon got Raven thinking.

"Maybe Apple didn't misunderstand." The witch murmured.

"Actually, yes, _yes_ I think that she did." Kitty pointed out a little bit more sober, though her words still came out through breathless chuckles.

"Just hear me out." Raven said, trying not to let the infectious laughter affect her too. "Apple was taught from an early age that it was her destiny to become Snow White, a character described to be the fairest and purest of them all… since the day Apple was born she has been ridiculed because her hair is not black as night like her ancestor's, so to compensate Apple had to learn how to match up to every expectation a future Snow White is described to adhere to. Her nanny and tutors told her that in order to remain as pure as possible she should abstain from sex, and from what you have said Lizzie, that same notion has probably been shared by a lot of the past Snow Whites."

Maddie blinked staring at the bundled witch in surprise. "You're saying that because of the fair one's story lessons, she was unable to fully comprehend what you were telling her? That because of her need to be the fairest of them all she finds the whole notion of unscripted romance to be… impure?"

Raven nodded. "Well you guys know about what expectations Daring's roll has in the White family… he'd only be a friend and figurehead in his position as Prince Charming, so to Apple having me as a consort would only equal to the same thing; friendship, and me as a figurehead in her court, it would be the same situation regardless of whether or not Apple discovers what a consort really is, because she would not allow herself to be tainted by anybody."

"Huh." Kitty said. There wasn't much else to say to all of that.

"So… do you guys think that I'm on to something or is it just wishful thinking on my part?" Raven asked, at the moment she was just too shaken up to really be considering whether or not she should take up Apple's offer… well she probably would not end up being as close to Apple as the princess wanted (her heart could only take so much) but it would help her decision considerably if she could just understand how Apple's mind was working at the moment.

"Actually… I think that you may be onto something." Lizzie replied looking contemplative.

"She is?" Kitty asked eyes wide.

"Well you should keep in mind that a future monarch's royal upbringing is vastly different than that of a commoner's. For one thing, most princesses are assigned a prince to marry, sometimes even before they are born, I may have been lucky enough to be born in Wonderland where our queens take what lovers they please and do not ordinarily share the limelight with any man… but as a Royal I do know that in kingdoms like Apple's it is all about bloodlines and how many cousins twice removed that they can marry off to and still keep the future bloodline from going gaga. It just would not do to marry anyone that is not of superior royal birthing stock."

"…Why does that make it sound like their cattle?" Kitty asked looking utterly disgusted.

"Actually it's more like breeding thoroughbred horses but, yes, the concept is the same." Lizzie confessed coolly, taking a chocolate from the plate to nibble on while Kitty made faces and declared that the royalty outside of Wonderland were going to one day get so inbred that they'll try to mate with themselves, making Raven laugh at the mental image.

"It would make sense for Apple to be so ready to take Raven on as a consort seeing as how she does have royal blood and she is currently a queen in title." The girl of hearts muttered absently. "The offer to gift you with a bride from her kingdom may for now just be an incentive for you to accept her proposal but I think that once _someone actually points out_ to her what a consort actually_ is_, she may eventually insist on bearing a child with you in order to cement your ties to her family."

Lizzie was looking at Raven intensely and the witch knew that the other was referring to the Canvas of Eros and the tiny bundle depicted, snuggled between her mothers' arms.

Maddie caught the attention of the room by clearing her throat and casting her queen a quelling look. "All ponderings of the potential future aside, the better question now is; what do you _need_ to do now Raven?"

Raven looked down to the quilt beneath her cheek. "I need to figure out where my relationship with Apple is heading, explain to Apple what a consort actually is, and… I should probably educate her a little bit more on witch customs with marriage and intimacy."

The hatter giggled. "Yes you _need_ to do that, now the question is; what do you _want_ to do?"

The witch pulled the blankets more snuggly around her frame. "Pretend my life isn't turning into a badly scripted drama, take a nap, listen to Kitty call non-Wonderlandian royals utter nut-jobs while Lizzie laughs and tells you guys more traditions found in this world's royal families… and maybe I'll stay long enough into the evening to be woken up by Maddie and Kitty kissing and whispering sweet nothings to one another."

"Sounds like a plan!" Kitty grinned.

Lizzie however had stilled, pointing between Maddie and Kitty with her mouth agape. "You- you guys are together?" She asked incredulously.

This earned the girl of hearts three amused looks.

"Yes." Maddie admitted without hesitation. "Kitty and I have been together for a while."

"How is it that you did not notice?" Kitty asked shaking her head. "I mean we aren't hexactly subtle. Hex, half the girl's dorm has somehow managed to walk in on us doing stuff!"

"And always at such inopportune times." Maddie muttered sulkily, making Raven snicker.

"You guys _did_ give Apple a real eyeful." The witch giggled.

"Well I never really had to worry about picking up on signals and gossip like that." Lizzie huffed. "I'm _the future Queen of Hearts_, if I wanted someone, all I have to do is walk on down to the harem and choose the one I want for the night."

"The joys of having a harem." Raven mused, wondering if Apple or the rest of the Royals knew that having a minimum of two or seven harem wives (even the males were given the title of _harem wife_, there really wasn't any real gender discrimination in that field) per royal household was deemed normal; And the fact that being a harem wife in Wonderland was a very prestigious title.

"Yes well, if things do turn out badly with Apple then you are more than welcome to become the official harem wife for the current tale of Alice in Wonderland." Lizzie coughed looking embarrassed. "You know… if you need time to get back onto your feet."

Raven grinned looking very touched; it was a very kind offer coming from the heir to the Heart clan's throne herself. It was a position that offered _protection_ from her mother's disgraced legacy and _respect_ for Raven as a person, after all those in the royal harem were the only ones who were allowed to escape with their heads intact should they have good reason not to follow their queen to her bed (or in this case; one of the three main characters in the iconic Wonderlandian tale, Wonderland itself was quarantined from all outsiders so she would have to stay wherever Kitty, Maddie, and Lizzie had decided to spend their time after graduation).

One of those acceptable reasons would be the fact that Raven preferred women (but seeing as her potential new masters were all female that would hardly be an issue), or if Raven was busy working on a cure for the Evil Queen's poison.

You had to consent to be a harem wife first (consent was a big deal in Wonderland which was unique considering that it was still considered a warrior's society), and if that was the path Raven chose then she could spend her days studying Wonderlandian magic, and hopefully find a cure that would right her mother's wrongs without having to worry about the stigma of her heritage or True Love.

"Thank you, that means a lot to me." The witch told them all sincerely.

"Yes, well…" Lizzie coughed looking away. "You would be an acceptable addition to _my_ court should things turn sideways for you, and my mother should have no objections, what with your contributions to find a cure for Wonderland and all."

Raven smiled seeing Lizzie's words for what they were, a way for the future queen to do something nice while still keeping up her reputation as a cold warrior monarch.

"Does this mean that we have a chance at a threesome darling? Or perhaps a foursome my queen?" Maddie asks her fellow countrymen with false innocence.

Raven laughs as the two sputter and turn several shades of red.

XXX

Cupid sighed dejectedly as she filled the bathtub with water that was between the temperatures of warm and hot, just right to keep away the chills of illness.

Behind her Blondie was irrigating out her sinuses into the sink with the use of a steel neti pot, it had taken some convincing to get the budding reporter to even touch the thing, but the winged goddess assured her friend that it all would be worth it once she could breathe through her nose and that small ache in her throat, the beginnings of a potentially painful sore throat, would disappear as well.

"Guh huack! Dis is awful!" Blondie wailed as water and yellowed mucus streamed out of her nose.

Cupid managed a tiny, amused smile. "Trust me, you'll feel better once it's over, now put in another tablespoon full of the salt solution, fill it back up, and start in on the other nostril." Her orders made the other whine in complaint but regardless the blonde did as she was told.

Cupid returned to her task of watching the water rise in the bath, now pouring some of the contents of a copper Roman style vessel into the water and stirring the mixture into the water to make certain that it all dissolved properly, before taking a cup of very fine sea salt and sprinkling that in as well.

It had been very kind of Raven to give her that recipe, instructions, the help, and the supplies needed to make a healing bath for Blondie. Whenever the winged girl had gotten sick with the flu back home a healing bath like this one would be prepared for her after she finished irrigating out the built up mucus in her nose; she knew that the bath oil and salts used throughout her childhood had come from Raven's family estate so she had decided yesterday morning when Blondie had awoken to find that she had come down with the illness that it couldn't hurt to ask the witch for help.

Inhaling deeply Cupid felt awash with nostalgia, the baths given to her when she was sick had always felt special but now armed with the knowledge of what ingredients went into the bath made things seem more exotic; the essential oils of thyme, rosemary, and eucalyptus cut with grape oil, honey, a little touch of alcohol, and goat cream mixed together to be poured into the warm water to help Blondie fight off the flu virus and boost her immune system, along with the sea salt which helped draw out the toxins in the body… admittedly Cupid was a little jealous of Apple, it must be nice having a lover who knew the craft of lotions and potions to alleviate all ills.

After that night over a week ago Cupid and Blondie mutually agreed that they'd keep quiet about the entire affair, something big was obviously going on and it was spooking everyone involved into silence and despite the growing number of people who were accurately suspecting of something romantic going on between the witch and princess, they probably did not need anybody shouting out about their True Love just yet.

After all someone had obviously tampered with the love-matching instruments, and that someone had been targeting Raven Queen.

She sighed again, turning off the tap.

"You've been sighing a lot since you came back." Blondie sniffed, sounding much better now that she could breathe through her nose. The girl removed her robe and accepted the other's hand to help her into the bath.

"Do you want to talk about it?" The blonde asked even as she groaned in ecstasy, the warmth of the water seeping into her achy muscles and the aroma wafting over her, giving her a little bout of energy, felt heavenly.

"Feels good, does it?" Cupid laughed a little as she set her mirrorphone's alarm to ring in twenty minutes; she watched the blonde stretched out in the water.

"Fantastic." The reporter sighed. "I'm definitely going to write about this in my blog. I knew that Raven's family estate made this kind of stuff but I never really considered that had meant that she knew how to make this stuff _herself_. Boy, Apple is one lucky duck."

"I was thinking the same thing." Cupid admitted, rolling up a small towel and fixing it against one side of the bathtub so that Blondie could lay her head back and relax. "And it is very fortunate that those two have found each other, no matter how complicated their situation may be right now, they are still very close… I'm happy for them. True Love is very rare after all."

Blondie allowed herself to be guided back so that the towel propped up her head comfortably. "I gather by your less-than completely happy tone that being able to witness a true case of True Love is not all that you are thinking about. So I take it that things did not go well with Dexter today."

The winged girl sighed again, she had been unable to make it to the game, she had to stay at the dorm to watch over her very ill roommate, not that she regretted the responsibility of coarse, she would have worried herself sick if she had left the bedridden Blondie all by herself. Besides, she had called in emergency reinforcements, by informing Daring of his brother's intentions and was able to avoid any suspicions of her knowing their _"little"_ (_more like colossal_) secret that may have arisen by simply saying that it was obvious that Raven Queen… was a lesbian.

Daring had been very, charmingly helpful about the whole situation.

"He found out about Apple and raven apparently… that's about as much as I got out of him before he… requested that I leave…" Cupid looked down and to the side the color of her eyes seemed to fade slightly. "Due to my nature I am… I can see both sides of this so I can be happy for Raven and Apple… but at the same time I am _only_ able to _sympathize_ with his pain… the conflict of interest is understandable, but not… what he needs from me." Cupid said neutrally almost robotic.

Blondie frowned. "What are you saying Cupid?"

"…He did not wish to see me." The deity murmured. "Everything seemed to be fine at first, he was distraught but he was being honest with his emotions and letting them out to breathe… and then all of a sudden…" Cupid gripped the side of the tub with a force to turn her knuckles white, her mouth thinned to a flat line.

"He did what? What happened?" Blondie's voice took on a slightly dangerous edge.

Cupid turned her head a little bit more downwards, partially hiding her face from the other with her hair, which had been freed of it's usual hair pins to keep it back when the girl had returned back to her dorm room. "He… pointed out that… because I am to be Cupid, the goddess of love, I'd be more… biased towards the happy couple than of his heartbreak."

"What? Wait a minute." Blondie massaged one hand to her temple. "Are you saying that he… kicked you out because of your heritage?"

Cupid shifted uneasily. "He's upset. Anything that reminds him of love would upset him more. It's… his reaction is… to be expected?" The last statement sounded more like a question, as if Cupid were asking the universe at large whether or not it really was normal for the boy who normally saw her as his best friend to get mad at her for being the future goddess of love. Sure she may_ personally_ see what the two girls had as something wonderful and _professionally_ view their kind of bond as a rarity that should be celebrated and honored… but that still didn't mean that she was ignorant of his heartache, and it certainly did not mean that she'd be anything less than a friend to him right when he needed one!

Blondie glared unimpressed at the ceiling, she could tell that Cupid was just being polite, being in the position of Dexter's best friend and secret admirer she could not bring herself to say anything bad about the boy, which actually made this all the worse; sure it was expected for Dexter to be upset but that did not excuse him for being a jerk to his best friend!

Cupid was usually a very honest individual, unapologetically passionate when it came to the topic of love and the surprisingly complicated varieties that came with it, so seeing such a passionate and honest individual such as Cupid sitting there all timid, ashamed, and reserved spoke volumes about how much her supposed "best friend's" words had cut deep into her.

Blondie highly doubted that whatever the four-eyed ferret face had said was nearly as tame as Cupid was trying to make her believe it had been.

As a reporter Blondie was used to stringing words together from nowhere, composing eloquent sentences to bring her readers into the story, however this time she knew that there were no words in the world that could make her friend and roommate feel any less hurt from her crush's betrayal.

So Blondie reached out her waterlogged hand and pulled back Cupid's hair from her face, gently rested her knuckles to the other's closest cheek when the winged girl looked up in surprise.

The deity breathed in sharply taking the reporter's hand into both her own as if it were a lifeline and pressed the back of it to her still thinned lips. Blondie allowed to keep the silence in the room going as her friend leaned her elbows heavily on the rim of the bathtub, her wings unconsciously drawing forwards towards the blonde in the bath.

For the next ten minutes Cupid clutched Blondie's hand and breathed, praying to whatever kin of hers that may be listening at the moment to lend her the strength to be whom she was while not unintentionally harming the boy that she cared about.

Blondie on the other hand, never really saw the merit of praying for her problems to suddenly get better unless there came a situation where she could not do something about it. So while the reporter spent her time staring thoughtfully at the ceiling, she began scheming.

After the alarm chimed to the sound of calming wind-chimes, signaling that it was time for Blondie to get out of the tub, the reporter had narrowed down a list of friends that could be willing to help her out should a certain… "Charming" boy need to be given a little, helpful, reminder that the world did not revolve around a certain pair of glasses…

XXX

As the sun descended behind the horizon, leaving brilliant trails of colors in the darkening sky, one lone boy could do nothing but stare at the beautiful scene glumly, not really feeling up to enjoying the sight at the moment.

He was feeling kind of chilly too but after Daring had admonished his brother for being so rude to Cupid the concussed boy had somehow managed to put up enough of a fuss that his older brother had decided that it was more beneficial for the both of them if he were to take his leave from their dorm for a while.

Daring did manage to startle when he felt a familiar compression of air and sensed two people coming up on either side of him.

Briar stood, arms folded, serious frown on her face, and staring straight ahead, situated to the right of the bench he was sitting on.

Cerise came up on his other side, sitting down next to him; planting herself much closer to the prince than Briar, she stared ahead too but she was much more aloof than her companion, crossing her legs, leaning back so that her arms could rest on the back of the bench, and she seemed to be the only one to really appreciate the sunset.

"So…" The hooded girl began, sounding calm, as if she were about to comment on the colors in the sky. "Tiny overheard about what your future has been planned out to be."

The boy flinched, waiting for the ribbing, the jokes, and the jabs customary from a girl who he had scorned. He remained silent; he did deserve whatever she had to throw at him.

So he was surprised when she laid a surprisingly tender hand upon his shoulder, and when she looked at him, looked at him like she understood and that she was not going to judge him for anything, he was so shocked that his usual iron control over his emotions slipped a little.

And then she looked him in the eye and in a non-judging, purely kind tone she said; "Dude."

Daring hadn't cried openly since he was a very little boy, he didn't quite remember when that last time was but then again he had never given the topic much thought. Crying after all was not very charming for a Charming man after all.

But at the moment Daring felt every bit like a little boy, and for once he didn't care about his appearance, not when Cerise was letting him cry all over her shoulder as if there was nothing wrong with his sudden blubbering at all.

It was kind of ironic, maybe, it was kind of difficult to gather enough thought to care about literacy terms at the moment, that the first girl that he had ever cried over (secretly, in the abandoned boy's locker room after that disastrous confession at the school field), was there holding him for the first time he was crying so openly in years, and there for the second time he had ever cried about a girl.

However there was a difference between the two girls he had cried over… _was crying about_. In Cerise's case he had cried for his loss of her, in both her friendship and for that imaginary potential of the two of them becoming more.

He had never really considered during the time that he had been covertly wooing her that he had fallen hard and fast for Cerise, though he had found himself contemplating the possibility of having her be more than just a girl that he took out on one or two dates, his feelings for Cerise was much more serious than any other girl and he found himself thinking about maybe dating her throughout what was left of their high school careers and… maybe, in the future they could still keep in touch, he would never cheat on Apple of coarse, but… well he didn't really know what he had been thinking at the time.

But when he had confessed to her that he had been hanging out with her to show that they had a lot in common and maybe they should try going on a few dates… he regretted his words the second the hurt look showed on her pretty face.

He had strung her along. Before that day he had thought that you could only accomplish that distasteful form of deceit when the girl in question had _already_ fallen in love with you.

He knew better now, and although it did make him feel slightly better knowing that she was a lesbian, meaning it had nothing to do with any inadequacies of being a Charming, but it still hurt him a lot because not only was his crush not realized…

But he had lost his pal too.

Apple was different, the reasons that he was crying about Apple was on a completely different planet to where Cerise was.

Apple he was beginning to fear.

It made even more complete sense now why she had been so insistent that he play the field until their fairytale. He had just thought (before he found out about the True Love thing between Apple and Raven) that once they were married he'd just try his best to be the best Charming spouse that he could be; go on dates with his wife, enjoy a few years of getting used to one another before having a kid or two, and only becoming king and queen after apple's parents were old and ready to retire.

Well that whole plan of expectations had been shot down, in a cruel fiery inferno, leaving nothing but a scared and uncertain boy where a strapping, confidant prince had once stood.

"I'm scared." He heard himself confess once he had calmed down some, he felt mortified and exposed by his actions and admission, but Cerise just situated him so that he could cling to her tiny frame easier and did not laugh at him when he hid his face into her hooded cape much like a frightened little child would do with their mother.

"There, there." She sung soothingly rubbing his broad shoulders with her hands in calming circles. "That's not your fate anymore, Apple may not have the presence of mind to acknowledge it yet, but that is not your destiny. Nobody can force you to go through that. It's not your fate. You've dodged that bullet, you're safe."

Daring had never thought that he'd be so happy to hear a Rebel tell him that he did not have to go through with his fate.

"Raven…" The boy realized with a start. "Raven, how is she?" He pulled back slightly his fears turning into concern. When Charlotte had left him in his room he had been too preoccupied with trying very hard not to freak out about his situation, but now that he had a chance to consider it, the witch was probably having a far worse time than himself.

"Hiding. At least until she gathers enough courage to head back to her room from wherever she is to deal with a deliriously dense Apple White." Briar spoke as she dropped down on the bench to the other side of Daring with her arms still crossed. She was seething mad.

"You seriously think that she'd stay in her dorm with Apple so soon after today?" Daring asked Briar incredulous.

"She loves her Daring, even when she is being an idiot." The princess sighed.

Daring was reminded of Charlotte's story about her ex-girlfriend and winced. He still wanted Apple and Raven to find happiness together but at the same time he wanted the both of them to be protected from heartbreak.

"Is there anything that we can do to fix this?" The boy asked a little bit of his responsible princely persona coming back.

Briar let out a sigh that sounded suspiciously like a growl. "Fix… I don't know, but force Apple to see what is actually going on? Yes. That is something that I can do." She eyed the darkening sky thunderously, looking ready for war.

"Are you certain you can do this?" Cerise asked the other girl, much to Daring's puzzlement.

Briar scoffed. "I'm her BFFA, I'm allowed certain rights, such as telling her that she is acting like an ignorant fool and hurting others while she is doing it." She said in a brave tone, much braver than what she actually felt.

"She has no right to play around with other people's feelings." The princess mumbled in the ensuing shocked silence. "She may be able to fool everybody, including herself, into thinking that she really doesn't understand what is really going on, what is really being said, but trust me she knows. She knows and it scares her so she makes up excuses so that she can continue to live in denial and pretend that everything is ok. But it's never ok and this time she has crossed the line so far that I wouldn't be surprised if Raven decides out of self-preservation to cut her losses and run as far away from this whole mess as fast as she can. And you know what? I wouldn't blame her!"

Her outburst caused Daring to almost hide back in Cerise's hood, the hooded girl herself looked at Briar worriedly.

"But at the meeting didn't you say that if Apple actually comprehended the actual scope of Raven's feelings and the realities of it… she'll be…" Cerise began.

"She'll be devastated." Briar confirmed stonily. "But she'll live. At this point the only way for anybody to find a happy ending is for someone to stop dancing around Apple's denial and simply obliterate it into nothing. I'm her friend and as her friend I'll be the one to do that."

Cerise nodded, it was a sound explanation. "Is there anything you might need me to do?" She asked willing to help out where she could.

"Tomorrow, after I've confronted her, grab the packed bags that Raven had prepared in the event she needed to switch roommates." Briar commanded like a seasoned general preparing for battle. "Raven will be staying with Ashlynn and I starting tomorrow."

XXX

"You're very cuddly today." Raven spoke bemusedly, keeping her eyes carefully trained on her bed's canopy. The spoken observation came a bit late considering the fact that the princess had practically glued herself to Raven's side the second she walked through the door late that evening, and the princess had been very affectionate the whole time; from their late meal together, to Apple helping dress Raven in her robes.

Raven was very thankful that she had the impulse to take a quick shower at Maddie and Kitty's because she was certain that the princess might've gone so far as to bathe the witch herself.

Ancestors, the mere thought of that scenario just sent her raging emotions and hormones into a complicated jumble…

That was fine though because her aching chest was doing well to dispel those thoughts like a bucket of solid ice being dumped on her head.

Apple gave a blinding smile cradling the other closer to the curve of her body, as if the witch were the most important thing in the world. Raven felt coldly numb in the warm embrace. "Of coarse I'm going to be snuggly, you just gave me the bestest news ever! And some hope that I might not have to lose you." The princess murmured into Raven's hair.

Raven bit her lip nervously. "So you're ok with it? Apple… you do realize that consorts have a different meaning for witches… right?"

To Raven's surprise the princess nodded. "I had a talk with my mom while you were at Maddie's… she said that you would be seen as my lover. Oh don't get all stiff silly; she approves of you." Apple giggled.

Raven's mind reeled; Snow White knew. Well of coarse she would know, Raven knew that she knew because Professor Baba Yaga admitted that she had told both Apple's mother and her own father, and it was obvious that the two monarchs kept in touch from the way her father always seemed to allude to the woman but…

It only hit Raven just now that Snow White, _as Apple's mother_, knew about her feelings for her daughter before said daughter knew (or perhaps still did not know?) about it!

Raven breathed trying to focus around the icy fear in her chest. "And you would be okay with that? Because in a lot of cultures… _my_ culture, I would be your _wife_." The witch pointed out carefully, trying to gather a feel for the other's state of mind.

Apple hummed thoughtfully, but did not seem too upset… at least by the fact that Raven hadn't been booted out of her bed yet.

"Is that why you were so nervous in telling me that I've got your heart? Because I can understand why you would be so scared… I mean with my fairytale… and my constant talk about my happily ever after, I can see why you were so scared of hurting me."

"And are you?" Raven asked, turning onto her side and scooting her top half far enough away to get a good look at the princess's contemplative face.

"No." Apple's response was immediate and sincere, the princess gathering up the witch once more into her arms. "I understand that relationships and the expectations of royalty in your culture is vastly different than mine, and although I may not understand all of it, and it may take some finagling in the beginning, I believe that if the three of us worked together we could make this work."

The witch let out a shaky breath; her inner questions not quite being answered, and more being added on by the second. She managed to tilt her head upwards in order to give the princess a raised brow. "And… what is your vision for the three of us hexactly? Because despite once being the designated villain of your story, I haven't the foggiest idea of your family traditions regarding marriage and other royal expectations." The witch almost could've laughed at how Apple had completely missed her sarcastic tone… if the current situation was not happening to her at the moment. At the moment she kind of wanted to cry.

"Ask me any questions that you may have." The princess said, running her fingers through the other's hair.

"Do you… care for Daring and I… equally?" Raven asked, bitterly toying with the back of Apple's kimono.

Apple thought for a second. "Actually… I think that I have stronger feelings towards you, although since you are a girl, the same as me, it is only to be expected. If we do decide to go through with this it would be a lot like how we are now and I'd like for us to be even closer than just a queen and her political alliance. "

Well that was a little surprising, it did make Raven feel a little better knowing for sure that at least she was not being shuffled into the same category as a figurehead like Daring.

"And… will Daring and I share similar positions to you? As your spouses?" Raven narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the other's reaction.

"Well legally yes." Apple gave a little half smile. "But you'll both be my friends and… well I suppose that if you would be considered my wife, then the three of us would be co-rulers in a way."

Raven swallowed thickly, she wanted to get one more thing clarified, but it was difficult to voice.

"What about sex?" the witch ended up blurting out hiding her head embarrassed into Apple's clavicle. "My culture and your culture have vastly different ideas about it so… please clarify?" This was something that had been bothering her ever since she had discovered that Apple's knowledge of the whole act was… miniscule.

Apple blushed but curled more securely around the other, holding the witch's head in place. "Well that's obviously not something that I can experience, especially because of my hair… now, now let me finish- I have to remain pure, which means that I'll just be abiding by family tradition, very rarely does a Snow White choose to stay with her prince on their wedding night, well… prince and _queen_ in my case, but mostly the first child is conceived artificially. Traditionally it's the pageboy or concubine that stays with the new Prince Charming, it gives the two the opportunity to get acquainted, which is important since many Snow Whites opt out of sating their spouse's wiles for several years to their entire lives. Currently we only have a pageboy on staff to stay with Daring… that is unless you-"

"I only like women!" Raven gritted out savagely, her body tensing, feeling utterly revolted.

Apple giggled at the other's reaction. "I had thought that was the case, which is why I'll find you a respectable concubine… or second wife…" The princess trailed off, the idea that Charlotte might become that second wife made her insides sit wrong… and the more she thought about it, the more Apple started feeling… uneasy about anybody else touching Raven as Apple wanted to touch her, or demanding the witch's attentions away from Apple.

"We could lie about it to the court, after I am queen, and after I have taken you, a very profitable alliance, as my wife, what is my business will be my business… however if I were to do things fairly I would have to bed the both of you, and well, Cupid showed me illustrations of… with a male and then a female would be like… I find what lesbians do with each other merely embarrassing, but with guys… it looks really gross."

Raven grimaced, why didn't Apple just twist the knife a little deeper while she was happily deciding what her future should be like- but she stopped that line of thinking, reminding herself that Apple really didn't have a clue that she was hurting her.

Apple made an aborted gagging sound. "Besides we're all friends, Daring may have a male's wiles to make him alright with it, but you are a girl and you are my best friend, I couldn't stand making you do something you don't want to or to ruin our friendship just because I can't control my human female hysterics and come to you because I am curious!"

Raven couldn't help but roll her eyes, hysterics? Really? Hadn't that old wives' tale been debunked decades ago in the human realms? Well that proved her theory that Apple was not only oblivious when it came to actual love but she also thought that all of her crazy family traditions were just a normal part of life.

But didn't that also mean that she would be more willing to go to Daring if she became "curious"?

"It sounds like romance isn't really all that expected in your family." Raven grumbled bitterly, feeling defeated and slightly frustrated.

Apple sighed; the witch's bitter tone wasn't all that unexpected, after all Raven's culture was very free compared to Apple's, the princess wondered what it would have been like to grow up in a world where love could come first and things like marriages were only seen as mere contracts, a means to legally meet an end, you could really love someone and get married if you wanted to, but you did not have to.

She knew from recent research on the mirrornet, something she had done for the hour that Raven was away, that witch and fairy marriages were not as binding as human ones, they allowed for easy divorces, and contract marriages designed for political alliances allowed for concubines or other spouses on the side.

That was the world that Raven grew up in. If she decided to stay in Apple's very human kingdom there would have to be some big changes to get used to, on both sides.

_If _Raven accepted Apple's proposal that is.

Apple tangled her fingers possessively into Raven's hair, angling her head back to look out the window beside Raven's bed. She stared listlessly up at the starry sky. "In most of the human kingdoms that I've encountered, romance of the sort you are thinking of is only expected for those who share a _true_, True Love bond. As for the rest… it is our duty to keep the bloodlines superior and to rule our kingdoms to the best of our abilities, so we must make many compromises to ensure that we can survive."

Raven lay there for a long moment. Thinking. The princess had obviously been raised to the point where, short of informing her of their True Love bond, that princess would simply pass off most direct confessions of love to the same level of the superficial farce she and Daring kept up. If she was going to get Apple to see matters closer to where they actually were then… she was just going to have to speak Apple's royal language!

It might work… maybe…

It wasn't like she was planning any substantial future with the princess… just yet. Hex, Raven wasn't even sure that she would end up as Apple's _anything_ once all of this was said and done.

But Raven did value the princess as a friend greatly and she did love Apple, very, _very_ much so she would play into the princess's little fantasy, and possibly tear it down with reality. After all, Apple was considering marrying a witch, and witches (along with her human father's family) had completely different ideas of how marriage was supposed to work, ideas that were obviously, grossly misunderstood by White family tradition.

The witch rolled them so that she was on top, she levered herself up onto her arms so that she could look the princess directly in the eye, unintentionally her long black hair fell like a curtain around their faces.

"I haven't decided yet, to be honest I… I'm not altogether sure that I would be able to adjust to a human kingdom's ways… but for _the_ _sake of argument_, if _I do_ decide to follow along with your plan… I've got some preliminary conditions. Keep in mind that this whole thing is all going to stay _hypothetical_ until I actually make a decision ok?" Raven watched Apple's face turn attentive in the dim moonlit room with serious eyes, the light from their world's natural satellite making the princess's face even paler and oddly supernatural.

The princess lit her hand up in magic to see the other's shadowed face better, once she could see the other properly Apple nodded for Raven to continue.

"First thing that you need to be clear on is that I love you. Ok? That is what having my heart means. Love. It's not simple and it's a lot deeper than friendship, so by asking me to marry you… you are asking me to be your mate, your life partner."

The princess smiled at that, making Raven sigh. Screw politeness and feelings, she was going right for the embarrassing touchy stuff.

"Secondly, It's not considered wrong or impure to _do it_ where I come from, and the act born from love is actually considered the purest thing in the world right besides bearing children from such a marriage. Calling upon me to make love to you _would not_ be uncomfortable or unwelcome or ruin our relationship, I care for you very deeply so such an occurrence would not be a problem." Raven breathed stutteringly, even as Apple blushed bright red, she needed to control her fear if she was going to get through this without messing up.

"Third, is that I am personally a very monogamous person when it comes down to it, so just… restrict your efforts to finding me a concubine or something, even though I highly doubt that I'd ever use her, because at the end of the day I would still be _your wife_, and I _married you_ because I love _you_, and should you ever change your mind about staying celibate for the sake of some nosey court officials… then I want to stay faithful _to you_ and _only you_. As your _wife_ and _life partner_." By this time Raven was blushing even heavier than the princess, the raging beat of her heart roaring in her ears.

There was no going back now; the witch needed to finish telling Apple, in a way that she hoped the princess would understand, what Raven wanted, what she hoped to find in a wife, it may be under the guise of actually going through with Apple's harebrained "plan" but the basics were there. If Apple didn't begin to understand then…

Then perhaps she should start looking into alternatives, stay Apple's friend but… begin to pull away, find someone else. Be the one to leave Apple's side instead of the other way around.

"Lastly, is that if I marry you, I do want children… but I would want to have them _with you_. Having my heart means that you will live as long as I do and… I can handle you having a kid with Daring for the sake of your story… maybe, but my stipulation is that I am right next to you at that clinic, having a procedure of my own done to ensure that I will bear the child of _you and I_. And I want those kids to understand that they are siblings, that they have three parents who love them to little bitty pieces, and that they have the exact same, beautiful mother."

The witch finished, shifting to her hands and knees so that her frame bent over the other but did not touch. It felt as though her entire body was one big live wire and she feared if the one beneath her gave any hint of disgust, or played things out as if it were a light and simple matter, then the witch just might break.

Apple lay beneath Raven looking up at the witch wide-eyed, in her perspective the other was offering up an awful lot of herself to the princess. If this were a situation of _True Love_ then what Raven was offering of herself was to be expected but… for a witch to submit herself to be completely faithful to her friend for just an ordinary royal human marriage… what if Raven found love somewhere else? Or what if she started to feel more like Apple's concubine than a friend… that is if she did decide to give into lust… which was... almost possible…

…And then there was the matter of Raven saying that she'd… bear Apple's children? She knew that witch's could have a lot of them in one lifetime. And that asking Apple to help her mother every single one was just… It shouldn't… the thought shouldn't have made her so happy or so warm in her belly but with Raven lying over her, looking at the princess and only the princess, like there was nothing more important than the princess…

Could Apple actually give into human female desires and use her friend that way? It may have been normal for witch's to feel lust but… her nanny had said…

But Cupid had told her and Blondie otherwise, and Cupid had been raised by Eros so wouldn't she be the better expert? Her nanny had seemed rather disgusted with the notion of pageboys and concubines… and he had been wrong by saying that every human girl stayed celibate unless her husband commanded her affections to have a baby… as well as saying that one could only marry once and to only one individual… so maybe…

Raven had said that such things were not considered impure in witch societies… so maybe…

Apple's gaze unintentionally traveled downwards, and with a start she realized that raven's yukata had loosened to the point where the fabric parted down the middle, exposing the center of Raven's scarred chest revealing little bits of her breasts, her belly which moved in time to the witch's breath, all the way down to the white panties and smooth, pale thighs.

Raven, her dear innocent friend Raven had offered this body to her, to be chained to her for the rest of their lives. All of it, and it broke the princess's heart a little.

Without her consent the princess's gaze stayed on Raven's flat stomach for longer than what was probably polite, imagining what it might look like when rounded out with a growing child… their growing child.

Now that the thought was planted she couldn't stop herself from imagining what it would be like, what that future with Raven would be like. With Raven at her side for the rest of their forever after's, supporting each other, ruling beside one another, Raven having their witchlings…

Raven loving her.

It… the thought shouldn't've been able to make her so _happy_ but it did. What Raven was offering… that kind of love was everything that she had wanted when she was a child, before she had realized that sort of thing was not meant for royal fairytale characters. The same day she had figured out that she did not even have a crush on her fairytale prince was the day she had told him that dating other girls was ok; he had been confused but must have felt the same with her as she did with him because he agreed without much fuss.

But Raven was different; Raven was bringing out all of these feelings that she had never thought that she could feel. It was like everything she had imagined as a kid had just been presented to her with a bow on top, only it was a thousand times better because all of it came in a Raven shaped package.

Raven…

Raven her precious friend.

Well… maybe this was what a very strong friendship felt like?

Apple tried to convince herself of such at least, but the stubborn thoughts of it being much more than that stuck stubbornly in the back of her mind.

More importantly, Apple was beginning to realize that she had jumped the gun on the situation (again), from what Raven was describing… it sounded like the witch wanted a lover, a monogamous lover who could love Raven past friendship.

However, Apple's fairytale would complicate that… would be complicate Apple's original plan actually (how would she be able to sneak Raven into her tale anyway? Have there be two heroes? A Prince and a witch who decide to ban together to save their beloved princess? That was a stretch…).

Would the book even allow it?

But what if Raven's theory that everybody could still probably exist without having to go through his or her fairytales turned out to be true? If that became the case then they could all theoretically choose how they wanted to spend the rest of their lives.

If Apple didn't have to go through her fairytale… could she find it in herself to become Raven's lover?

Did she have the potential to love Raven the way Raven wanted someone to love her? To become the wife that Raven obviously wanted?

Could she?

Apple shook her head to dispel those Rebellious thoughts.

Fairytale, Prince Charming, Snow White, and family duty… those were the things that she needed to keep in mind… no matter what or who came along.

She was princess Apple White, the daughter of Snow White, the future heir to the throne and the future Snow White. She had a duty to her ancestors to continue her tale. No exceptions.

She could not afford to think about how things could be different.

Because if she did start thinking about the things that she could have if she decided to turn Rebel… it would hurt her, hurt her because she knew that just as soon as she reached for it, Raven, and everybody else she loved would disappear.

So she buried those thoughts because Raven was just a friend, just a friend, for her own safety and the safety of Raven's life she. Had. To. Be. Just. A. Friend.

And because she was just Raven's friend she could not provide Raven with the kind of life and love she deserved.

The kind of love Apple was trying very hard not to acknowledge that maybe… she wanted it too.

"Say Raven? About what you were saying before… I- no, _we_ should still think more about it. I am… honored that you would commit that much of yourself for me but…"

Apple bit her lip, freeing her arms to clutch at the witch around her bared back, hands sliding beneath the other's nightclothes, pulling Raven down so that she rested fully on top of her, the witch's face burrowing beside her neck as she waited anxiously for the princess's answers.

"But what if you fall in love with somebody else? Sure I may be your wife and queen… and I may care for you very much, _perhaps_ to the point where I might take you up on your offer to submit yourself to my wiles… however I think that we should seek out all options for you should you choose to become my wife. Make no mistake, I still want you to become apart of my court, but I… don't want your loyalty to me to get in the way of you being happy. You deserve to find someone who can give you everything you need, and while I have the power to grant many of your materialistic earthly desires, I still can't… I am uncertain about my ability to give you complete happiness if you become my wife…"

Raven shifted down a little bit so that she could prop her chin up on her folded hands on the princess's chest.

Raven gave Apple a slightly relieved albeit utterly exhausted smile.

Apple's eyes widened. "That's what you've been trying to tell me this entire time isn't it." She said with growing dread.

"Essentially yes. But minus the falling for someone else even more than I love you. Even if I do fall for someone, I will always love you more, no matter what." Raven confessed simply, making to move up and away.

"Love me, because I'm you're friend?" Apple reached up to cradle the witch's head in her hands before the witch had a chance to extract herself from Apple's lap.

Raven blinked for a moment before a fit of soft chuckles escaped her. "It's a far more deeper love than friendship, but yeah, I love you as a friend too." She smiled at the girl below her; her expression fond and exasperated and Apple couldn't help but think that Raven looked very attractive when she looked at her like this.

Suddenly it all clicked in Apple's mind.

"Because that's what it really means to have a witch's heart?" Apple asked tentative, scared.

Raven nodded. "It's means that I love you no matter what, even if I have to let you go, in both friendship and… in feelings deeper than friendship, I would let you go so that you can be happy." She informed sitting farther up, reverently placing both of her hands around one of Apple's still reaching hands.

Apple had trouble breathing for a moment, her breaking heart in her throat. "I made a pretty big fool of myself today, didn't I?" She groaned, one hand clutching Raven's the other one dramatically laying across her eyes.

"You'll live through it." Raven assured.

"I'm sorry." Apple breathed meaning every word. "About this afternoon, you were being so clear but I… I don't know why I…"

"Well I'll admit that outright denial wasn't what I had been expecting…" Raven muttered looking off to the side, so maybe Apple wasn't nearly as naïve as the witch had first thought.

"Ancestors, I'm so sorry Raven." Apple continued her apologies, feeling utterly mortified. "Now, and I really do mean it this time, I-I guess I can understand why you wanted to keep this all on the hush, hush. Oh boy, I can't imagine how much I have hurt you."

"It hurt me worse when you were in denial about the whole thing." Raven sighed trying to skootch away from Apple, it wasn't working too well because the princess was determined to keep her where she was. "I'd much rather find out whether or not you were disgusted by your friend having these feelings for you. You don't have to worry by the way, I value as a friend far more than anything else, and if my bond to you was any less obvious I would have kept quiet and not have risked our friendship like this." Raven assured struggling with the other to get away.

This admission made Apple frown. "But nothing has changed between us."

Raven stopped her struggles long enough to stare at Apple incredulously. "Pardon?" She shook her head. "Listen Apple, there is no way that you are going to be able to be anywhere near me without it being awkward, I mean now that my feelings for you have been made plain-"

"But you said that you were going to keep silent and just let it be a close friendship between the two of us right? You were going to… to get over me? Because to be honest you don't seem like the type to stand back and pine for well… anybody." Apple observed raising a brow she adopted a teasing smirk. "Unless you _were_ going to pine for me? Methodically plotting to keep me in suspended sleep while making Daring fall in love with a broom."

Raven blinked, dumbfounded for a moment before a muffled laugh tried to escape her lips, she rolled her eyes at the princess's joke and did not fight it when the princess sat up and moved herself into Raven's lap.

"You do realize that you have just cast your own fairytale into a perverted light right?" The witch asked trying very hard not to laugh. Letting he mood lighten up slightly.

It took Apple a moment but when she got it a scandalized look crossed her face. "Say… you don't think that the original Evil Queen…"

"Well, she did keep her step-daughter around for a very long time and it was only when Snow White was dubbed the fairest of them all… the prettiest… the most sought after by suitors and everyone that was not the Evil Queen herself…" Raven gave a coy smirk. "But I was talking about that crude remark you made about broomsticks."

Apple gave the other a bewildering look. "What about broomsticks? 'Cause I was talking about… holy granny smith that does put my fairytale in a whole different perspective!" She murmured in horror. "Wait, does that make us… blood relatives?" the princess asked, the Evil Queen was, well, evil so she wouldn't put it passed the woman to take advantage of her ancestor… maybe? Well Raven's family line had to have come from somewhere, the White family records were not complete when it came to the Evil Queen family line, they didn't even know where the first Grimm Brothers had found the Evil Queen's daughter, but it was speculated that there might have been a blood connection between the White and Queen families.

"She did not bear any children with the king… and she did not get a chance to lay a hand on your ancestor neither." Raven rolled her eyes, knowing what Apple was thinking, as it had been explained to her from the old estate records and the longstanding Queen estate golem minion, Jenkins, the Queen family was indeed not related to the White family, the older generations just let them vaguely wonder whether or not they were related to the royal line of witches so that it would give the powerful human kingdom pause if they ever decided to try and invade the Queen family's lands or try to make the Evil Queen line out as if they were nothing more than mere animals fit for the burning steak.

That and Raven's ancestors found this longstanding misconception funny as hell.

"It's my understanding that the Evil Queen and her daughter, the daughter she had loomed long before Snow White's mother died weren't even speaking when the whole fairytale went down, and according to the written Queen records it was the Evil Queen's great-granddaughter who was the first one to recreate the story with Snow White's daughter. The Evil Queen was, by human standards ancient when she had married the king."

"And Ancient pedophile!" Apple stuck out her tongue utterly disgusted.

Raven nodded in agreement. "Yes she was seriously screwed up in the head, but look on the bright side, she was probably waiting until Snow White was the witch's legal adult age of seventeen, or the human's legal age of eighteen before she made her move on the girl." Raven snickered at the look Apple's face twisted into.

"Glad you're nothing like her." Apple confessed flopping her head heavily onto Raven's shoulder.

"I was going to let you go." Raven assured this time being the one to hold the princess close. "As soon as I had discovered my feelings I had vowed to never let them hold either one of us back, I was under no illusions that I could ever have the right to take you away from your happily ever after, and if there was even a moment where I would ever consider being anything more than your best friend… I would have removed myself from your life completely, because that would not be fair to either you or me."

Apple looked into the witch's eyes in saddened shock, not just in a purely friendship sort of way either, the rebellious thoughts that she had been trying to stomp out made her feel as though something she didn't even know that she had wanted had been taken out of her reach before she had even spied it.

Raven kept her gaze steady, looking the princess in the eye. "Apple… I just want you to know that my feelings of friendship for you are stronger than any feelings of inappropriate love. As long as you are happy I will never feel bitter about you wanting to follow your destiny… or be jealous of Daring, especially to the point of making him fall in love with a broom." The witch giggled slightly at the thought of the prince flirting with a piece of cleaning equipment. It was rather difficult being jealous of the prince anyways… if he didn't runaway from the wedding alter he had Guado, the pageboy to look forward to.

Actually Raven probably should offer Daring asylum and find Apple another prince… or something because she highly doubted that the boy would be willing to go through all of that, especially since Lizzie had said that Daring had been taken completely by surprise…

Raven sighed. "I should probably go… give each of us some space for a while before any awkwardness's can surface and cause problems. She moved to extract the princess.

"No!" Apple cried clinging onto the witch for dear life. "I already said that I'm fine with your feelings and you promised that you were never going to become a creeper because of them, and that we care for each other as friends, we want to stay friends, and so there is no reason for anything to change!"

Raven slumped a little. "Apple…"

"No Raven." Apple shook her head. "I am not giving up on you, I still haven't forgotten that your life is in danger and that it's because of me that you're in this mess in the first place- and don't deny it! I know I'm right so don't try to convince me other wise!" The princess firmly clamped her hand over the other's mouth to prevent any protests from being voiced anyway. Giving the witch a reprimanding glare for good measure.

"I still want to take care of you." Apple swore. "I want you to live, I want to be your friend forever, I want my daughter and your daughters to be raised together, I want to grow old with you, and be there for you no matter what!" Apple straddled the witch's lap so that she could look the stunned witch dead in the eye. "I've had friends fall for me before, and they all ended up leaving because they couldn't handle not having a chance at me, but you, you were willing to get over me while still being my friend… so please…" Apple began to tear up. "Please don't leave me too. You can move out of our dorm if you want, if it's too awkward for you right now but please, please, please don't ever leave me." The princess sobbed.

The witch was still for a moment, staring at the other sobbing in her arms.

"Ok." Raven soothed holding the sobbing girl close. "Ok, I won't leave you."

XXX

_Tap, tap, tap, ping!_

Another tiny section of seal broken; another tiny section of wiggle room to slip their ethereal form out of; if the shadowy figure behind the glass so chose it.

Footsteps, coming closer, the thirty or so shadowy tendrils hide themselves in the darkened places of the room.

The Head-bastard opens the door and stares at the mirror for a long time, not approaching or whining out demands, he just… stares.

Then there is someone coming up behind him and- damnit! The smart brother is back in the picture!

"It has to be done brother. For Raven's safety she needs to be put somewhere where she can never harm her again." Giles whispers, it's almost too low for the hiding shadows to hear, would be impossible to hear if the tendrils had not been worked out of the mirror already, he places a hand on his brother's shoulder.

Hackles raise, rage boils, how dare they try to take the spawn away…

The Head-bastard turns and closes the door; the tendrils shoot from their places of hiding to listen in from beneath the door. "Everything should be ready just before summer vacation." Head-bastard speaks just as low as his brother and the tendril risks getting caught by slithering outside the room to still hear. "She will be relocated then… it may be cruel but the Grand Coven does have better resources then we do for containing… criminals."

The tendril sharpens itching to rip through delicate flesh…

"It's for the sake of our students, remember that brother." Giles says and his brother slumps in defeat.

The tendril halts its path, giving up any attempts to follow, they has made themselves clear enough, and the room it is currently in is the same one with that blasted canvas…

After a cursory look around to ensure that no one would stumble upon it, the tendril summons it's kin and at once try to attack the blonde wench in the portrait. Drawing back with a pained hiss when the spawn's good magic deflects and stuns it's attackers.

Curse the thrice damned… The bond has gotten stronger.

Tendrils retreat, the tapping from within the mirror resumes.

_Tap, tap, tap, ping!_

Ethereal glowing eyes appear as the thing behind the glass renews its efforts.

_Soon_.


	10. The one step towards a different future

Author's note (you can skip if you feel like it):

Whoo. It's been a busy couple of days, but I managed to get this puppy written up. Things are starting to heat up as choices are being made regarding a new future for a good majority of the main Royal cast.

Except for Lizzie, she's perfectly happy with the knowledge of becoming the next Queen of Hearts Fairytale or not.

And remember Ashlynn may seem pretty laid back about all of this but that's because she's been where Apple and Raven are before. So she's going to be far less shocked about all of this.

Just a warning; I had stated previously that before Dexter accepts that things have not turned out the way he had wanted them to he will become a bit of a jerk for a while, just like my friend did when he had his heart (and his nose) broken. I personally do not have very many things against this character (except for the whole going after Raven while still being oblivious to Cupid thing. Personally I do not see the appeal of Dexter dating Raven but a lot of people do think that it's a cute pairing and I respect that, and my bias is mostly because I personally think that the storyline in the cannon-verse would be a whole lot more interesting if there was some gay tension between Apple and Raven. Or just some gay couples period. To be honest I would literally squeal in delight if they had some background characters of the same sex hold hands in a couple-like fashion or even kiss. But I'm not going to hold my breath because some things just don't seem to be quite ready for that yet in this world).

Minus the Raven thing I actually don't mind Dexter's character all that much, if he wasn't so down on himself because he's not very good with the ladies I think that Dexter might actually have the potential to be a pretty fun guy in his own geeky way. But it's because he is so fixated on this one girl or the fact that he's not as charming as his brother that really takes away from those qualities that I like about him.

I might just end up writing a story or a series of drabbles where Dexter is gay and therefore all of his better personality traits that _I think_ he has come to the surface. What do you guys think; would you like to see this?

Anyway enough of my ramblings, I just want to thank you for the lovely reviews, they really help me get through writer's block, and now on with the fic!

I hope you enjoy!

XXX

The one step towards a different future

XXX

Due to the injured nature of over half of the bookball team's male members the entire team (including the honorary members) had been pardoned from class for the next two days so that they may recover properly.

Raven had been pardoned from class as well but instead of having the day off she was to help prepare for the arrival of the visiting witches before giving them a tour of the school that afternoon.

She did have two hours free that morning before she was to report to the nurse's office for a check-up, having been spared the usual weekend at night stay on Sunday, because of her work at the bookball game came at some manageable costs. Daring had obviously seen the opportunity because he had called early that morning and offered to take Raven to breakfast before escorting her to her appointment, much to the witch's surprise, though she did jump at the opportunity to get out of the dorm despite her exhaustion.

She felt as though she did need a little time away from Apple so that she could have the ability to think properly without being distracted by the suggestion of the princess's mere presence. Even when she was out of the room there was so much of Apple ingrained into every corner that she needed to get out anyway.

And she needed someone to talk to who would have some insights into the workings of Apple's mind, the complicated politics of being a Royal, _and_ a future monarch.

Briar had class but Daring at least knew quite a bit about at least two out of those three things.

Conversation did not begin right away; Raven had met up with the prince at a semi-private booth in one of the village's many coffee and sandwich shops, they exchanged pleasantries, ordered their food, and sort of huddled together like two soldiers in a foxhole who were incredibly uncertain about what the near future might try to fire at them.

"I managed to finally get Apple to understand about the real scope of my feelings." Raven murmured into her coffee after a while of shared silence.

"Really?" Daring looked at her as if she had managed to conjure a miracle. "How did she take it?"

Raven shrugged one shoulder. "It was pretty much what I had suspected the best case scenario to be like… only a lot better than that because she did not yell or act like she was disgusted. Pretty much she understood that I had kept my feelings a secret to try to ensure that nothing would complicate her fairytale even further, and even though she was flattered she did not want to hold me back from finding love somewhere else because she would not feel right using me as just a concubine, but she still wants us to be friends and to figure out a way for me to be a part of her court." Raven gulped a bit of air having not breathed through the explanation.

"It's strange." She sighed propping her chin in her hand, for the moment ignoring how Daring was staring at her wide-eyed. "I would have thought that she would be jumping at the chance to get me out of there, and have me sleep in someone else's dorm for a while… or at least sleep in her own bed, but for someone who was just told that their former assigned enemy was in love with them she was really clingy."

"She slept in your bed after that?" The boy asked incredulous, already feeling dizzy from the princess's one-eighty spin from clueless to actually getting it, and this new bit of information was making his bandaged head hurt a little. He knew that some girls were more complicated than others but Apple seemed to be in a category all her own.

The witch scrubbed her eye with the heel of her hand, confirming to the prince that she was probably thinking (or at least feeling) something similar. "Ever since that night where the second light appeared she's been sneaking into the same bed that I'm in. I had thought that she would want some space but she just clung to me even closer than normal saying that she didn't want to loose me as a friend. She mentioned something about other friends of hers falling for her and then leaving her right after she turned them down, after they asked for something more. But since I never asked for more and understood that her fairytale was very important to her, and was personally just fine with getting over her but still being her friend… she just insisted that nothing had to change between us."

The prince winced, turning to look at the witch fully; he couldn't help but note that she looked exhausted, she probably did not get very much sleep. Or maybe it was a combination of insomnia and just having to go through such an emotional roller coaster, he could only imagine…

"In some of the instructional books that teach princes one of the techniques to woo a maiden is to befriend her first to show the maiden how much the prince has in common with her, and that he would make a good suitor to marry." The boy mumbled in response to one of the girl's unvoiced questions. Raven held that same tone Cerise had when she wanted his insight on Royal affairs, back when she used to talk with him for hours.

Raven pulled a thoroughly unimpressed look. "As someone who actually _fell_ _in love_ with a girl who was my _best friend_, and whom I _knew_ that I had _no chance_ _with_, I am highly offended by this underhanded trickery."

"Yeah… well…" Daring coughed rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm not a big fan of it either. Not only does the prince hurt the one he has been courting, possibly the one that he fell in love with as well, but he loses her, in both a chance at something more and in friendship. So… ye-ah."

Raven rested a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Cerise will forgive you eventually; who knows, now that you have learned that harsh life lesson the two of you might be able to find some common ground in the future to rekindle that friendship of yours." The witch's voice is kind and knowing in a way the makes the boy relax slightly.

"She told you?"

Raven smiled wryly. "Cerise is one of a very few people that I share secrets to, and I am the same for her. Don't worry, I'm not going to get revenge on you, Briar has already left you in enough fear if her satisfied cackling from next door was anything to go by."

Daring shuddered, leaning into Raven's one-armed hug when she wordlessly offers it to him.

"She misses you too you know. So don't give up hope to become her friend again." Raven assures.

Daring, feeling thoroughly humbled just nods and matches the same weak smile of the witch.

"More importantly, how are you doing?" The prince asks when the witch releases him. "That is my main concern right now."

"I think I'll live." Raven replies after a moment's thought, pausing the conversation when their food arrives.

When the waitress leaves Raven drops the fake smile she had plastered on for the stranger's sake. Her expression morphing into a more tired one. "It hurt worse when she was in denial about my feelings, so I guess that I'm feeling a lot better now that she knows, but mostly I'm in a constant state of confusion because I have never dealt with Apple _like this_ before and I'm kind of scared that I might end up unintentionally hurting her if I don't get over her fast enough."

"You know a lot of this would be made so much easier if you told her about your…" Daring looks around to make sure no one is listening. "True Love." He whispers for good measure.

"It would." Raven nods not denying it. "But if I did tell her, how am I supposed to know whether or not she is happy with me. I live with her so I know how much her fairytale means to her, if I take that away she'll just treat the whole situation like an obligation she needs to fulfill. She'll smile, lie to my face and say that she is happy even though she's clearly not, but she'd say so anyway because of her bond with me. I don't want that, I would want for the two of us to love each other equally and since that can't happen I want her to be the happiest she can be with her fairytale… and whomever _else _becomes her prince." The witch sighs heavily picking at the turkey sandwich in front of her. "Her being happy, is what will get me through this."

Daring's heart lurches painfully for the other, he had read about hero's sacrifices before but to see Raven's humble acceptance of the situation pulls at the part of him that will always be analyzing situations so that he can come out of it as a Charming. Sacrificing so that your love is happy was what his ancestor strived for after all.

"And what about you mister? I heard from Lizzie… and Apple about your… fate. How are you holding up?" Raven takes a bite of her sandwich redirecting the conversation purposely.

Daring nearly whimpers. But is proud of the fact that he does not burst into tears, something that he did twice last night the second time was when he had to explain things to his sister, Cerise and Briar had covertly snuck him into her room to spend the night after he mentioned the fight with his brother. Darling seemed to already know about Guado and cursed at Dexter heartily, her eldest brother's tears being the only thing stopping her from staging a siege of their concussed brother's room.

He was ashamed to admit but he did let his little sister take care of him like she was a true Prince Charming, while he curled up in her bed like an invalid and blubbered here and there throughout the night.

"That bad huh?" The witch sighs after swallowing. "You know… and I say this with the idea in mind that we can find Apple another prince and that you can find yourself another fairytale- that because of me, Snow White is not your destiny anymore, you can choose another tale if you'd like."

"I…" The immediate dismissal of such a thought left a bad taste in his mouth. "I'll… think about it."

"Hey look on the bright side, if the future twists in such a way I could end up as Apple's second figurehead spouse, so you wouldn't be alone." The witch said before taking another bite.

Somehow that did not comfort the prince in the right way, despite the fact that a part of him _was_ comforted that he would not be alone in such a scenario… he did not like the thought of either himself or Raven having to go through with that.

Did this mean that he was turning… _Rebel_?

XXX

Apple agitatedly tapped her pencil onto the notebook in front of her, not paying any attention whatsoever to the droning of her Kingdom philosophies professor.

Raven loved her.

Without the platonic context the meaning behind those words was… just mind blowing… and also a little ironic.

Her entire life she had been prepared to deal with the admirers and the royal detachment she must portray to them; understanding, sympathetic, but firmly making it clear that such a relationship must never transpire, and when all was said and done she would have to create some distance between herself and the other person so to better emphasize that there was no hope for maybe's or what if's and said admirer was not being strung along.

Raven _never_ had held out hope for anything more.

The truth made Apple instinctually avert her eyes to the side.

Raven valued her as a friend higher than her own feelings within her heart. She was willing to get over Apple. She was willing to go through what was left of her life ensuring that Apple did not have to deal with such a scandal.

Raven was willing to risk her own life, so that Apple could be happy.

Despite not signing the Book and inadvertently starting the Rebel movement Raven still cared enough to keep the truth of her situation with her witch's heart a secret… putting herself at risk so that Apple may continue with her fairytale plans with just the little matter of finding another villain to take Raven's place.

It was such a simple matter really; if Apple had cared less about the witch she would have found Raven's replacement the very day after the Signing and would have washed her hands of Raven on Royal principle. In fact Royal edict dictated that she should have done just that, cut her losses and swept the matter away, even demand for the witch's immediate banishment so as to cut off the head of the Rebellious serpent before it had the chance to create a problem, use Raven as an example to all of what happens when you disobey destiny.

Even after the witch's magic color change, leaving her unable to go trough with her tale, and the knowledge that Raven had loved her so much that the witch's own magic submitted to be used by Apple… her tutors dictated that such a scandal was shameful and that in order to save face Raven would have to be removed from Apple's presence and… be sent away.

She was supposed to leave Raven to die.

Well to hell with her tutors and the royal court back home! No one was going to harm Raven, scandalous tendencies or no!

Even though Apple was very confused about… well everything at the moment, at least her caring feelings towards Raven held firm.

Raven loved her enough to let her live her fairytale just as planned, so it made sense for Apple to… _care_ enough for Raven not to let anybody try to harm her.

Apple cared too much about Raven to let that happen. It wasn't the witch's fault that the princess held her heart, it wasn't a bad thing to love. Raven was being realistic about the situation, after all there was the fairytale and Apple's happy… Apple's life… Apple's Destiny. Yes, destiny, _that_ was the word, it was her _destiny_ and _duty_.

When had it changed from _happy ending_ to _duty_?

Apple just did not have the luxury to think about… _no, no, no_! _Don't_ even think it! Don't think about how the feelings for Raven were a _gazillion times_ _stronger_ than those for Daring or the fairytale!

Why, why was her brain trying to think it?

Raven had said that she would bear their witchlings. That if she became Apple's bride she'd love no one other than… Apple White. Her wife, her lover, her queen…

Raven would love her forever after.

And Apple would love-

Apple gripped her pen tightly a brief flare of magic in her palm along with her own strength and the writing tool shattered, splattering ink and itty bitty shards around her immediate work area.

Guiltily she looked around to make certain that she hadn't caused a scene.

Ashlynn is thankfully the only one who looks up in surprise (the rest of the class looks half asleep or… asleep. It was really a wonder in of itself that the small business heiress was better at this class than most who were to inherit large kingdoms), although she was initially alarmed at first, one look at the agitated fellow princess and Ashlynn's face immediately softened into something that looked like… understanding?

Apple couldn't ask Ashlynn what that look had meant, not while class was in session (because the professor may be deaf to the loudest of snores but had ears like a fox when it came to whispering), but the other princess seemed to have read Apple's mind because Ashlynn took one of her spare pens, wrote a note, and tossed said note tied with a ribbon (they were princess's after all, and princess's carried around beauty supplies and handkerchiefs like nobody's business) to the pen Apple's way.

Apple caught the gift with her clean gloved hand, she would have to go the rest of the day without the gloves it seemed so she had no problems wiping her now un-gloved, inky hand on the clean glove before picking up the note to read.

_**By your agitated air I'm guessing that you've finally understood the real sentiment behind Raven's confession. **_The note read. _**Take some advice from**_ _**someone who has been in a similar situation: take some quiet time to yourself, try imagining what would you do if we lived in a world with no fairytales, figure out your emotions, don't hold back from yourself (even if the truth is utterly terrifying and painful), if you do find that you cannot live without her Apple then figure out a**_ _**loophole to get around the obstacles and never let go of her. Not to pressure you but, you'd better hurry. There is only so long that Raven will wait for you. Please, as your BFFA I beg you to think thoroughly about this, I don't want to see you live the rest of your life regretting not at least looking at the situation from all angles, you are too pretty and too smart to become one of those old women who do nothing but sit around and sigh about the "what if I had done this's" in your youth.**_

_**Take it from someone who spent an entire week driving herself insane because I just couldn't let Hunter slip away. Fairytale or no fairytale.**_

_**P.S.: Ask Ginger for some literature on witch customs and culture references.**_

_**P.P.S.: Seriously honey, the "I'm naïve because I'm ignorant about witch customs" was funny just the once. Never again you hear? Seriously Briar looked fit to be tied this morning (she's looking for you btw. Good luck with that). :)**_

Apple found herself staring at the paper for a long, long while.

Even through the sudden uncertain feeling towards Raven and towards the future there was on thing that was for certain in all of this…

Briar was going to _kill_ her Apple realized with creeping terror.

XXX

Charlotte sidled up to Daring just after Raven disappeared into the school infirmary making the boy jump when he noticed her.

"How is she?" Charlotte pointed her chin to the other witch's direction.

"She says that she had managed to clarify the situation to Apple in a way that she could understand, and that Apple still wants to be close friends with her." The boy sighs looking down to the ground. "So in other words she's right back to the point where nobody's going anywhere because the fairytale still stands in the way."

Charlotte let out a half-relieved breath; at least there was one obstacle down. "So… operation jealousy is officially unnecessary?" She asked with curiosity.

"No not quite." Daring hummed in thought. "Perhaps it would be safe to have Apple see first hand what she is letting slip through her fingers. Again I'm not asking you to go on a _date_ with Raven… just _hang out_ with her, in a date-like fashion."

"That I can do." Charlotte assured with confidence, she highly doubted that it would take much to get the princess jealous, hex all she did earlier the other day was smile and give Raven compliments and Apple White was just about ready to _tear her throat out_.

"How did…" Daring coughed, absently picking at the bandages on his arm. "How did Faybelle take this whole situation? Did you tell her anything?"

"She was laughing when I checked into her dorm for some reason or another, and after I explained what happened in that tent- _minus your predicament of course_ _but do anticipate her finding out about that very soon_- and… well… she laughed all the harder. But she did give her blessings for me to continue on with my bold announcement… oddly enough she seems to think that my faux plan to marry Raven Queen in order to win the Thorn family back their honor and further political gain was unhexpected but a potentially good idea if things do not turn out the way you and I wish them to… although she did joke about going after Raven's hand herself… at least I hope that she's joking…" Charlotte muttered looking slightly concerned, she didn't mention to the boy that her beloved cousin was there to listen in of Raven Queen's confession, nor did she enlighten the prince of Faybelle's bold boasting that at least if Raven did marry either herself or Charlotte then at least she would be thoroughly satisfied in one area of their marriage, light-years better than what any prissy princess could offer.

Daring's eyes almost look as though they'd like to fall out of their sockets.

Charlotte would not deny that her cousin was an odd one. Competitive and territorial to an extreme, Faybelle would gladly marry into the heir to their family's sworn enemy because Raven was_ her_ sworn enemy/wife/in-law/whatever and _no_ _one else_ should be allowed to have the witch but_ herself_, especially when it would benefit the Thorn clan.

Charlotte made a note to keep an eye on her wiley cousin incase she decides to convince herself that stealing Raven for herself or for her cousin was actually a good idea…

"And what about you? How is Prince Charming fairing?" Charlotte asks him as they begin to slowly walk down the hallway.

"Well some of the main council of Rebels seems to have heard about my… predicament, they've been rather sympathetic. Even offering their help if there came a time for it. They did not laugh at me which was… extremely appreciated." Unconsciously the boy hugged himself feeling slightly comforted by the talk he had with his sister, Briar and Cerise. It would work out, they'd make certain of it, and for that Daring owed them his life. "Right now I just want things to continue on as normal. Normalcy would be… nice."

"Well…" Charlotte began in a tone that made Daring very uneasy; she was eyeing the approaching dots in the sky through the lobby windows. "Do you think that you could at least handle some harmless weirdness? Something that is more of a… witchy familial surprise coming to visit?"

Daring was about to ask her what the hex she was talking about but then they landed just outside the school entrance on their brooms and flying carpets and one look made the boy almost trip and caused him to squeak in a very un-manly manner.

"Why are there so many Ravens?" He squeaked bewildered.

XXX

Dexter was feeling a little rotten that morning, and it wasn't because he got his head practically bashed in the previous day.

He had yelled at Cupid. He had yelled at his brother. Hex, he had yelled about Raven, Apple, and that new witch! Even though the last three weren't even in the room (actually no one was in the room so technically he supposed that he was yelling at himself… boy what a loser thing to do)!

He knew that he was being a grade A jerk to the people that cared the most about him, and that he really shouldn't be acting like this when he wasn't even dating Raven (never mind the fact that she still probably had not the foggiest clue that he had feelings for her, or the fact that she was a lesbian and therefore he didn't have a prayer in the first place) but… he just… couldn't seem to have the mental capability to stop himself before the littlest things such as Cupid's heritage or his brother's good luck with girls would rile him up into a frothing tantrum.

He hurt too much. He knew that was hardly an excuse and he did not know why he was acting like such an idiot because he didn't get what he had wanted… what he never really expected to have in the first place (he was the not-so-charming Charming after all) but he was… and even though he was still feeling angry at the world (although that slightly pink tint to everything might have something to do with the concussion… that or someone did something to his glasses, again) having been left on his own made it so that he could not find a decent distraction from the fact that _he yelled at his best friend_.

Dexter had ventured out of his dorm to go and apologize to Cupid (he would talk to his brother that evening). She was just the sweetest person that he'd ever met and the best friend that a guy like him could ever hope for. She had always been supportive of him through thick and thin and she really didn't deserve to be called a bad friend for-

His mind and body screeched to a halt several yards away from the front entrance.

Daring was surrounded by a group of Raven Queens, three of them to be exact, that new attractive witch that he had seen yesterday (what was her name? he knew that it sounded fancy…) was standing next to the prince and as a few strange faces flocked over to them, they began giggling flirtatiously when his brother and that witch murmured something, both Daring and the witch from yesterday had perfect _Charming_ smiles on their faces.

His head pounded in pain as he made to turn away, but another shocking sight stopped him dead in his tracks.

Cupid. His supposed _best friend_ was surrounded by a larger group many of the individuals looked identical to Raven Queen (well similar… some were short some were tall, many had their hair in different styles, or were of darker skin tone).

"Oh Cupid your so pretty!"

"Oh Cupid your so nice!"

"Oh Cupid you're such a flirt!"

"Careful or we might just fall in love with you!"

The winged girl chuckled at their praise and smiled widely at them all.

"Aw geeze guys, you're making a future love goddess blush." She cooed blowing a kiss to her admirers.

Dexter raced to his dorm at a dead run, trying to ignore the Squeals of delight from the group of Ravens and the disturbing fact that despite his vision being the same as it had been when he walked out of his room, he could feel himself seeing nothing but red.

XXX

"Well at least she's finally gotten it, and she's being mature about all of this." Hunter scowls from his wheelchair parked beside Raven's examination table. They were getting ready to leave in order to greet the incoming witches, despite his injuries ("_It was only a light concussion Raven, I swear I'm better now thanks to your healing herbs"_) Hunter still insisted that he help Raven out. It was a thinly veiled excuse for the boy to check up on her and they both knew it, but Raven didn't mind talking it out with her friend.

Raven raises an eyebrow; she had been expecting some sort of veiled jab towards Apple not a veiled compliment. "You're being awfully generous considering the fact that you and Apple don't hexactly see eye to eye on your happy relationship with Ashlynn… and again, I am sorry about all the grief that she's been giving you guys." The witch says sincerely, taking the breaks off the boy's chair and rolling him out of the nurse's office.

The boy waves off that old issue with an actual wave of his hand. "And once again I'm saying that you don't have to apologize for her, the day she finally sees that nothing bad happened from us not following our destinies will be well worth all of this." He tells his friend with a grim smile, the witch snickers lightly at the imaginary look on Apple's face when that day does come.

"And… I can't exactly condemn her for still wanting to be friends with you… Ashlynn and myself went through… a similar arrangement the summer before freshman year. The only difference then was that we both felt the same for one another and were worried about our fairytales getting in the way." The boy shrugged, a nostalgic smile crossing his face.

"And how long did this arrangement work out?" Raven sent him a teasing smile.

"A week." Hunter laughed. "It was the longest week of my life let me tell you, and apparently it was the same for Ash because she literally hunted me down to the forest and demanded that I sit down and enjoy the lunch she packed us because we were dating now and eating your girlfriend's cooked meals was what good boyfriends did."

Raven laughed along with him before giving him a brilliant smile. "I'm glad that you were able to find someone like her."

A love-struck grin made it's way to his face. "Yeah, me too."

Raven suddenly screeched them to a halt just inside the main lobby, both blinking owlishly, taking double takes and triple takes at the scene before them.

"Am I the only one that sees multiple copies of myself in matching witch academy uniforms?" Raven whispers cautiously.

"Thank the green gods, I thought that my head injury was worse than it seemed and that I was hallucinating." The boy swore.

The nine witches who bore a very similar resemblance to Raven all turned towards the approaching witch and injured boy, smiling in amusement and waiving excitedly. One, a small little witchling that looked no more than seven harvests old laughed joyously at the two's expressions and was snapping pictures with what seemed to be her elder sister's mirrorphone (well Raven could only guess that the older witch, who looked like her and kept a protective hand on her younger clone's shoulder, was the big sister. It was difficult to really say for certain).

"Didn't you say that you might have relatives hanging around out there?" Hunter whispered.

"Looks like a lot of them found their way to hang out here…" Raven replied feeling a little faint.

Of all the things that she had been expecting this was so unexpected that it wasn't even on the list. She had always known that she had extended family elsewhere but she had been under the impression that no one really kept in touch with one another or that there was some sort of unspoken rule that everyone was supposed to try to forget that they had once been Evil Queens.

An adult looking Raven clone stepped forward from the crowd of similar faces, she stood tall in her mesmerizingly elegant glory, wearing traditional witch's robes with yellow trim that matched the natural blonde streaks in her hair, and although she looked as though she could be imposing if she wanted to be, she wore a beautiful warm smile when she approached Raven and Hunter.

"Raven Queen I presume." The woman's velvety voice sounded a touch amused as she greeted them with a customary bow known to the eastern desert regions of the world (hands brought together as if in prayer and head bowing so that the forehead met with the joints of the thumbs). "I am Broom Mistress Serpent, of Hathor Witch's Academy it is of good blessing that we have been able to visit a school centered in the studies of fairytales."

Serpent… Raven remembered there being an Evil Queen with that birth name from about a century ago. Could it really be?

Raven tried to copy the woman's bow in her stunned state. "A-and we too are blessed with your visitation." She tried to sound as respectful as possible. "I- we hope that our two schools can learn something new from one another, so as to broaden our knowledge. This is my friend Hunter, he's offered to help me give you all the initial tour before leading you to the auditorium for the Grimm brothers official welcome."

"Thank you… though may I ask what has happened to your friend? He looks very beaten up if you don't mind me observing." Serpent eyed the boy like a concerned cat who was watching a heavily injured human try to preform normal day activities.

"It's fine." Hunter assured sweetly. "Bookball game. Leprechauns. We nearly got clubbed to pudding yesterday."

This earned the boy a round of understanding sounds and sympathetic winces. Nothing else had to be explained.

Throughout the tour no one brought up the obvious family resemblances, the witch students asked questions here and there about a certain room or what damsel-in-distressing classes were (the concept seemed to mystify them; there was a class on how to look pretty while being kidnapped?), but overall there seemed to be a comfortable air around the newcomers and they were acting as if nothing was out of the ordinary about this visit.

Although they all (especially Hunter) seemed highly amused by Raven's comical initial reactions, as well as the reactions of everyone they came across. When the student's of Ever After High all seemed to cluster around the windows and crowd themselves in the open classroom doors Hunter began to chuckle openly, along with BM Serpent, who also seemed to be unable to stop laughing at the reactions of the other students.

Raven felt a little lightheaded.

Having what looked like a group of obvious relatives grinning so openly at her as if she was just another relative that had simply been living in a foreign land was… new (she had been expecting cold looks and polite but strained interactions), they were well behaved, they weren't frightened of her, and they had open curiosity towards the Rebel vs. Royal debate. Yes they had called it a debate, as if it was all just a discussion in philosophies, which was also interesting to Raven. It seemed as though the majority of witches outside of Ever After High seemed to see the fairytale reenactments as just a bunch of restricted family lines performing a multitude of ceremonies to honor the ancestors.

With a start Raven realized that before her mother, that was probably exactly what her ancestors thought of the whole thing; just a silly thing that was concocted mostly by the humans in order to "ward off" the evil of the world.

If Headmaster Grimm had put the whole thing into those specific terms from the very beginning she supposed that she'd have far less of a problem with it, in fact Raven was sure that a lot of things would be a lot less traumatizing if fairytales were not being portrayed as something to be taken so ridiculously serious; Her mother would just become a crazy lady who took the ceremony too literally, it would be more of a joke to occasionally act like an ancestor, Cerise wouldn't be constantly frightened of being persecuted, Tiny wouldn't break into cold sweats whenever Jack Jr. Jr. walked by, and Hunter and Ashlynn wouldn't have been given so much grief over loving each other.

And the whole Rebel vs. Royal thing would not have been weighed down onto her and Apple's shoulders.

Headmaster Grimm was definitely in for it when this bunch came around, Raven kept thinking to herself, and her prediction indeed came true.

"I take it that your Headmaster was not expecting this either." Charlotte whispered to Raven, she was sitting in the seat beside Raven as they all waited patiently for Headmaster Grimm to stop gaping at his audience and begin his speech.

Raven winced. "I remember making that same face earlier. By the way Lizzie told me what had happened yesterday, I think that we should talk about it, soon." She whispered, her voice being muffled out by the music that the enchanted instruments were playing. It was supposed to be an effect to impress the visiting school but right now it served as a great way to cover up the audience's whispering.

Charlotte blushed; it was a good look on her. "I agree, although just let me say that not all is what it seems.

"I'll hear you out." Raven assured, handing the other witch a piece of paper. "Here's my number, you can hext me a time that would be convenient for you."

The Headmaster banged the palm of his hand against his head and scrubbed his eyes. The scene before him did not change.

"Once again it seems that he and I are on the same page about something." Raven realized with a queasy feeling. "I do hope it stops because it keeps getting weirder every single time we do agree, or have the same reactions to things… I really, really hope that stops soon." The witch continued to mutter much to Hunter and Charlotte's amusement.

In the end Giles Grimm took pity on his brother (who was still standing completely gob-smacked five minutes in) and started out the welcome speech, which was essentially the usual "_hello, welcome to our school_" sort of stuff but with his own little twists here and there. Though he mostly seemed to be sharing flirtatious inside jokes with BM Serpent who was grinning widely at the old man, much to Raven and the Headmaster's stupefaction, apparently he and Raven shared another similar expression because Hunter and Charlotte were snickering as they obviously looked between the two.

"So if there are no questions I'd like to ask Hunter Huntsman to direct the lovely BM Serpent and her charges to the girl's dorm. Raven Queen, I'd like you to accompany my brother and myself to the Headmaster's offices to discuss that little project you and your professors have been working on." Giles concluded without a pause, he held an air about himself that was both commanding and kind so it took Raven a few beats before she remembered that she wasn't the one to debrief the brothers on Bleeding Rebel Heart projects and that her professors had already submitted their reports to the brothers and the agricultural committee three days ago.

Hunter laid a comforting hand on Raven's arm as she got up to leave with the awaiting Grimm brothers.

"Are you sure that you don't need back up?" The boy asked sending a suspicious look Headmaster Grimm's way.

Raven gave him a tiny smile. "Yeah, the tall one's all bark but no bite and Giles is very patient. I'll be fine, no matter what they want to discuss with me."

Hunter sent the Headmaster one more paranoid look before nodding and letting her go with just a parting friendly squeeze of his hand.

"What was that look Mister Huntsman gave me for?" Headmaster Grimm grumbled as the three made the short trip to his office.

Raven shrugged. "He didn't mean anything bad by it, he's just a good guy who's looking out for his friend." The witch assured her tone neutral.

"I'm surprised that you haven't gotten used to it by now brother." Giles added in. "After Raven's destiny change became public knowledge you seem to be getting a lot of those looks."

Headmaster Grimm grumbled the feel of his cane and the limp he sported as he walked serving as an explanation to exactly why his own students were eyeing him with mistrust.

When they reached his office Milton startled when Raven used her magic to pull out his chair so that all he had to do was sit down on the heavy piece of furniture.

"You're limping more than normal. You should sit." Was her monotone explanation when he cast her a questioning look. He didn't have time to utter his thanks before she turned to Giles, her face twisting into something that held curiosity and respect.

It wouldn't be the first time Raven Queen only gave him customary politeness while she held his brother in a place of high respect. But it was the occasional kind things she did for him, like pulling out his heavy desk chair for him or levitating a book so that he didn't have to lean over it and hurt his damaged back any more that really sent him for a loop. The kindness that she would show him… It was… highly confusing.

"The reports you spoke about were submitted days ago. So… is the real reason why you wanted to speak with me having something to do with Apple and myself?" The witch gave Giles an amused, knowing little smile.

The man nodded. "Indeed. It seems that Apple White's public displays of her ability to bend your magic as if it were her own has stirred up quite a few of the magic wielding populace of Ever After High." Giles informed. "Several students have been asking after your wellbeing, seems that Miss White's daily proclamations of becoming the next Snow White are having fellow magic bearers worried about you."

Raven sighed heavily, she had been expecting this, Apple's ignorance made it seem as though the princess was mistreating Raven. A misconception she would have to publically correct.

Oh how she longed for a life where her very personal life was not a subject of avid discussion by the masses.

"I didn't hear about this." Headmaster Grimm sat up straighter looking alarmed.

"Yes well I've already taken care of informing Apple of the implications of her being able to bend my powers." Raven cut off the Headmaster before he had a chance to begin ranting.

When the two men tensed she quickly added to her statement. "I breathed nothing about the whole True Love business, but I did… confess to her about witch's hearts and the full implications of her harboring mine." She looked down to the ground her lips thinned to a level line.

Giles placed a gentle hand onto her shoulder. "And how did that go?" He asked softly over his brother's panicked stuttering.

Raven shrugged her free shoulder, picking her head up to look speculatively at the ceiling. "Better than I had expected, there was some confusion at first but in the end nothing's really changed. She said that since I was willing to get over her and that I care more about her as just a friend we don't have to alter our dynamic, she will still be my friend, and I will still be hers. We both agreed that my witch's heart wouldn't jeopardize either of our friendships or Apple's fairytale. Speaking of which, I'd like to nominate Faybelle to take my place in the tale of Snow White."

She had been contemplating the issue of who would be willing to take on the role of Evil Queen in her place ever since the second day after Legacy Day, Faybelle had come to mind several occasions but Raven was hesitant to ask the fairy, for one she was not sure how the villain who so openly despised her because of what her mother did to Faybelle's mother would react to such a request, for another Apple would quite possibly lose it if she ever found out about any attempts to find another villain for her story.

That first night after the signing was both the second most grueling and most terrifying night of her life, it was the first time that Raven had ever seen Apple so furious and it was the first time in awhile where Raven was actually afraid of the princess. For a scary couple of minutes at the height of their argument the witch was certain that Apple was about to strike her lights out, and Raven knew how strong Apple could be so it was fair to say that she had been reasonably petrified of accidentally being killed, scarred, or permanently blinded (especially since Apple's nails looked so long and vicious).

It wasn't her scariest night, but it sure was daunting.

The first would always be the night that her mother preformed the blood sacrifice ritual on her. The older woman had at least numbed the pain by using a series of local anesthetic injections throughout the many hours it took to complete the ritual and bandaged her up directly after her blood touched the stone sacrificial slab but she had given Raven something that made moving difficult for her witchling self, and apparently whatever ritual her mother was preforming needed Raven to be awake throughout the entire ordeal.

It had been very stressful, in one moment this strange woman was being all doting and making baby talk at her the next she was cutting open her skin and hooking her up to a loud machine that made her mind all fuzzy and gave her massive headaches.

Raven had cried through the entire ritual, so in the hours after sunrise and her mother had finally stopped, she put Raven to bed and used the last of her strength to curse her daughter to shed no more tears.

Now however seemed to be the perfect opportunity to both make Apple happy and mend whatever wrongs her mother wrought upon the head of the Thorn clan.

The Headmaster perked up. "Really? You'd be willing to advocate for Miss Thorn to take your place?" He seemed surprised and pleased by the notion.

"Apple and Daring are Royals, if they so choose to follow along with their fairytales and are willing to find a way to do so without inconveniencing any Rebels then I have absolutely no problems whatsoever." Raven's tone turned neutral once again.

"Besides." The witch added with something just shy of bittersweet. "It is only right for the role to be filled by an individual who not only fits the personality but also does not have any… _inconveniences_ that would hinder his or her life after the story is over."

The Headmaster visibly winced.

"You are worried about your mother." Giles stated, not asked.

Raven nervously eyed the room, as if afraid that the mere mention of the older woman would somehow summon her. "I don't know what her original plan was, but I do know that it involves me being held under her control and in order for that to happen… she might go after Apple, most likely she'll strike in the time between now and graduation. I will not allow this if I can help it but since her true objective is still unknown…"

"You don't know what to expect if she does come for you." Giles finished gravely.

"I have been teaching Apple how to control our power, some defense hexes, some spells for protection, but she can only learn so quickly and the Evil Queen has had years where she has had nothing but time to dig up the most forbidden of magic's to smite down anything that does not coincide with her master plans." Raven stated in a way that begged no question that she _knew_ that was what her mother did in her free time.

Giles nodded sagely, he approved of Raven's incentive to train the princess in self-defense. "That is a noble endeavor that I think that you should continue perusing, and remember; you are not alone in your fight with the Evil Queen." He assured her, thinking of all the protective precautions himself and his brother had either beefed up or added so as to isolate the Evil Queen on the school grounds if worse came to worse.

Raven's stomach growled.

Giles chuckled. "Topics regarding princesses and future predictions of doom aside I do believe that your body is telling you that all of that can wait after a good meal." The old man said wisely, gently escorting the witch to the door. "Rest assured my brother and I are working out solutions to keep the Evil Queen from breaking free, for now you just worry about teaching Apple White how to cast magic."

"I'll do that. Thank you." Raven nodded giving the elder a smile. She halted at the door not turning around as she spoke. "Oh and Headmaster? Stop trying to snatch the ice cream from the top freezer shelves, not only is standing on your tip toes bad for your hip but you also gave Ginger quite the fright. She hasn't told anybody else but me, however you have been seen by others too, there is a rumor going around the kitchen staff of a… hungry ghost." And with that Raven left the room.

"You're supposed to be on a diet." Giles gave his brother a reproving look.

Milton scowled back. "Well somebody didn't warn me that when I was going to greet the visiting school that I'd be met with… _that_!" The man gestured wildly.

Giles blinked unimpressed. "I was under the impression that the man who had courted Elenore for so many years would be the _most_ knowledgeable expert on the Queen family."

"We… never really discussed much about what life would be like after school…" Milton looked away shiftily. "At the time… we both… no, _I_ had made it clear that I had thought that our relationship… couldn't last."

"Is that why you have never dealt with the grand coven directly?" Giles sat down in the chair usually reserved for students.

Milton fiddled with his scarf, the same scarf Elenore gifted to him shortly after his instatement as the Headmaster. "I… wanted to give her some space. She had been so hurt after hearing of my engagement to Catherine that even after I had gathered enough courage not to go through with the marriage… I could not face her directly after that. I-I had hoped- _still hope_ that she'll forgive me enough to at least see me one of these days. Even if it is on my deathbed, that would be… most welcome."

The engagement to countess Catherine had been his father's idea, a way to ensure that the Grimm family line continued. It was hardly an ideal match, he and Catherine loathed one another, and it was because of this fact that a child… was just out of the question. But he at least tried his hardest to be faithful, be a good fiancé even though his bride to be was very "_friendly_" with her brother's valet… and her brother.

Well except for that one last blissful month where his father had suggested that he go overseas for a vacation all to himself and Milton had been so tired of pretending that everything was ok and that he was happy fulfilling his father's wishes that he called up Elenore and begged her to… just have that one month, that one last month where they could pretend that she wasn't the Evil Queen and he wasn't a Grimm's son, and that they were just a normal couple.

Just for a month.

The happiest month of Milton's life.

"I'm glad that you ended the engagement to that horrible woman after father passed." Giles admitted without apology, he had gotten into massive fights with their father over Milton's engagement and how it was making him utterly miserable but the old coot had stuck faithfully to his concepts of trying to imitate the fairytale characters and left his son's happiness to the wayside.

Suffice to say neither Grimm brother bore an heir, perhaps it was an unconscious decision but they both agreed years ago when the subject came up that the mere thought of forcing their children to be in an unhealthy relationship for the sake of appearing like the fairytale characters was not something either one would ever put themselves in the position to do.

"Hey Giles? Remember how we both talked about the reason why we never tried to have children?" Milton asked quietly.

"I seem to remember you coming to me utterly horrified that someone as sweet as Elenore had birthed someone as sadistic as the current Evil Queen." Giles told the ceiling. "All throughout her high school career you always claimed that Elenore had probably adopted that ungrateful child because there was no way that she could be related to Elenore. Despite the obvious family resemblances." He turned to look at his brother. "But I'm guessing that this isn't about the Evil Queen."

Milton shook his head. "No. I was just thinking that… if I had been braver, stood up to father, then maybe… maybe I could have made a family with Elenore. Or if I had tried harder to seek her out when her daughter lost her mind and tried to take our world down with her… Maybe things could've been better."

Giles was silent for a moment.

"In your last scenario you do realize that Raven Queen would've been your granddaughter through marriage." He said carefully starting to get an idea to where this was heading. "You're trying to get at something, you only speak about "_what if's_" when you're feeling guilty about something."

"What exactly did the Evil Queen do to her daughter?" Headmaster Grimm demanded bluntly.

"Milton-"

"No brother. She practically admitted that she was forced to be involved with her mother's insanity; she acted as if she were terrified of the mere thought of her mother. Giles… please tell me what I'm dealing with." Milton looked to his brother with begging eyes.

Giles hesitated.

"You're going to regret me telling you this. It's… not a happy tale." He warned.

"I'll regret it more if I find out about all of this when it's too late!" Milton said with feeling. "I didn't even stop to think about Miss Queen when all of this was going down… I regret that the most. She's Elenore's granddaughter and I didn't even spare her much thought until Legacy Day. I need to stop acting like a jealous fool over Elenore having a child with another man and do my job, which is to protect my students and in order to do that I need to know what the Evil Queen is capable of."

Giles finally broke down.

In the end they were both right; it was not a happy tale but at least everything was out in the open now.

"A modified version of Morgana's curse you say?" Milton swallowed thickly.

"The very same one she preformed on her son so that if he defeated King Arthur he would be able to rule without opposition. Except there are a few differences with what she had done with Raven, for one she had pumped her blood with a solution heavy with an unknown magical metal, it's very luck y that Raven didn't suffer from heavy metal poisoning, or worse." Giles sighed. "We tried deciphering her notes but without the key we weren't able to decrypt them. Not even all of those years in the library did much help for me."

"At least this whole Rebel business makes sense now." Milton sighed; it also explained why the Healers were all giving him dirty looks lately as well.

Healer Phalange did seem more serious than normal when she threatened to use him as a guinea pig for science.

He'd better stick to that diet, he didn't want to even think of what would happen to him now that the Healers were truly incensed. Besides he had to still be around to make certain that Raven's fears of her mother breaking free did not come true.

He owed Elenore and Raven that much at least.

XXX

Blondie waved goodbye to Raven as the witch left her dorm. Cupid wanted to spend some good quality time alone for a bit so the winged girl had asked that Raven stop by to make sure that her blonde roommate irrigated and took her bath.

Raven had gone a step further by bringing in some extra supplies that she saved for the times when either she or Apple got sick. The witch had brought soothing lemon honey tea, a balm to rub on her chest to keep her airways open, a magicked cool cloth, and with Blondie's permission she sprayed her bedding and a spare robe with a light rose and lavender scent to help her relax into sleep.

They mostly talked about how a big majority of the visiting witches looked a lot like Raven. The witch had said that she had known that she had relatives out there but she never expected that so many with obvious genetic ties to her would just show up. Several people had hexted some pictures to Blondie throughout the day and the reporter had to admit; there was a definite unofficial family reunion going on.

Warm from the bath and fed enough chicken soup to sate her tender tummy Blondie was on her way to dreamland when Raven left her to rest.

And then the reporter heard a strange ping coming from Raven's mirrorphone; the witch had forgotten to take the device with her.

Mind half groggy from illness Blondie worked on sleuthing autopilot and automatically grabbed the phone from her nightstand and opened the voicemail.

"_Ah shoot it's just her voicemail. What to say… c'mon man think of something to- Oh! Um… ahem this is a… sale's… person, and Evil sale's person selling… evil wares. Err… given you're destiny we'd like to offer you some… poisoned nail polish! Yes, poisoned nail polish… gah! Stupid, stupid, stupid!" _The message then suddenly cut out.

Blondie groggily peered at the phone's caller ID. It said Dexter.

As her illness-fogged brain was still trying to comprehend the strange message another voicemail began, again it was from Dexter.

"_First it was Apple, then that other witch, but now you've used a cloning spell so that you can get with my own brother and my best friend? Curse you Raven you're stupid! Stupid a-and an evil Rebel who breaks the hearts of nice guys who are… okay, I may not be as cool as my brother but at least I'm not stupid… like you. You and your deceptively pretty face. I bet under all of that talk about wanting to become a nice person you're just as ugly and evil as your mom!"_

At the end of the second message Blondie sat up immediately, looking immensely insulted at the phone on Raven's behalf. Her calm instantly shattered.

A third message played. Again it was from Dexter, this time the boy sounds like he's crying.

"_How could you Cupid? How could you? First Raven clone's herself to get at my brother and that new witch but then you just have to waltz in and flirt with a big group of Raven clone's? Well that's completely disgusting! And you're crazy to think that two girls can… can do stuff! It's physically impossible to physically seduce other girls; I for one can't imagine any ways that could be successful! Sure witches claim that it can happen but their just evil chronic liars! My ancestors knew this and they were smart to burn them on stakes until they stopped… saying those kind of things… for a little while- but my point is I don't want to be friends with lying slut and that you need to stay away from Raven! Our friendship is over!"_

Blondie makes sure to dress warmly, packing some extra medicine, tissues, and several colorful medical face masks to make sure that she didn't infect the entire campus while on her quest.

She casually hexts Briar informing her that she was about to brutally murder a certain Charming and to please give her an alibi for the afternoon, before she braves the outside world in her ill state.

XXX

"Thanks for agreeing to hear me out." Were the first words out of Charlotte's mouth once she caught sight of Raven. They had agreed to meet at the school's front entrance since Charlotte was still new to the campus's layout.

"I had a feeling that there was more to the story from yesterday." Raven shrugged as if it was no big deal that the other witch had practically declared that Raven was going to become a bride to the Thorn clan. "Did Apple really… say that I was going to become her consort and marry a lady of her choosing? In front of…"

Charlotte placed an arm to Raven's shoulder in an act of comfort due to the other witch blushing from head to toe and fidgeting uncomfortably.

"Yes she did. That's why I said what I did yesterday, because even though Apple White obviously doesn't know a thing about witch etiquette, I still couldn't stand back and do nothing."

"But you barley know me, and I'm not exactly a favored individual with your family." Raven countered sounding floored. She leaned up a little to get a little bit closer to the taller witch's line of sight. "Why then would you declare the Thorn clan's protection through honor marriage?"

"That's something that I'd like to know too." Briar's voice startled the two witch's apart.

"Never would I have actually gone through with anything official without Raven's complete consent!" Charlotte raised her hands looking as though she feared that the princess might shoot her.

Raven was calmer. "What Charlotte means is that amongst the witch community Apple's declarations yesterday were a bit…"

"Rude?" Briar supplied. "Yeah I know that it is considered in bad taste to declare so publically about a heart bond to be used for political gain and then for Apple to so plainly make it clear that she was going to cement the alliance by choosing Raven a spouse from her court was definitely crossing a line." The princess muttered sounding embarrassed on Apple's behalf.

And it _was_ in bad form. To witches and other magic bearers a witch's heart bond was sacred and if it could not be honored properly then steps might be made by other witch clans to have that bond removed, this was especially true for the rare times humans received such bonds. In Apple's case her declarations could be viewed as a big neon sign of her neglecting Raven.

"You know about this kind of thing?" Charlotte asked sounding bewildered, it was not exactly rare to run into a human with accurate concepts of witch culture but it did seem pretty odd for a fairytale princess to know that much.

Briar held up her hand, the disturbance of the air around it to the average human would be pretty odd but to the two witches the sudden blast of magic hitting their senses spoke volumes.

"Briar can summon magic." Raven explained. "She mostly deals with spells related to sleep and dreams as far as I have observed." Raven had found the princess's abilities to utilize magic… odd, especially because she was a fairytale princess but she never asked because it was obviously a sore point with the girl and it wasn't Raven's place to pry.

"Dad's mother's side of the family." Was all that Briar was willing to say about it at the moment. "But to get back on track my main concern is what are the intensions of the Thorn Clan towards Raven now that your bold declarations are out in the world?"

Charlotte met the princess's protective gaze head on with a look of respect and understanding.

"My intentions towards the honorable Raven Queen is to merely apologize for my rash behavior, and if she would permit me with the honor to take her out on the town for the purely platonic intentions of wanting to get to know her better and to become her friend. Nothing more nothing less."

"And Faybelle? What did she have to say?" Briar asked with a brow raised.

"She… finds my reactions towards Apple White to be… humorous. She has agreed to keep out of Raven Queen's business for the duration of my stay; she is hoping that my presence on campus will provide her with some… amusement. As far as my knowledge she has not contacted my aunt about my faux proposal so I do not think that she is very interested in actually making good on what I had said yesterday." Charlotte sounded slightly concerned at the end of her statement.

"Oh I don't think that Faybelle would stand to have me be apart of the Thorn Clan." Raven assured with an easygoing wave of her hand. "She hasn't really forgiven me for my mother's dishonor to her family…"

"Ah but you have made it clear that are not your mother and due to your Rebel beliefs a marriage into our family would make Faybelle eligible to take on the role of Evil Queen." Charlotte smiled at the way Raven looked so taken aback.

"But she doesn't have to marry me to have that role, I just spoke to the Headmaster today about letting Faybelle take on the part of Snow White's villain. He agreed with me that she could have it. No strings attached.

Charlotte gave a bedazzling grin. Faybelle was going to be over the moon when she heard this.

Briar shared a glance with Charlotte. "She has no idea does she?"

Charlotte looked at Raven who huffed. "What?" She asked blushing under the two's attention.

"Raven, Faybelle wants to be the most evil fairy of all time. What you just did today is like giving her the best gift in the world. The only thing that could possibly make everything complete in her universe is to one up the Evil Queen. I wouldn't be too surprised if she gets so happy at the news that she becomes willing to the idea of marrying you just to get back at your mother." The blonde haired witch informed, making Raven blush fully.

"She would take good care of you." Briar pointed out. "I know that Faybelle can be a handful but if she deems you worthy to be apart of her family then she'll be treating you like gold."

Raven blushed darker.

Briar reached for her phone when it started to chime that she had received a message. "Just an option to keep in mind." She said lightly turning her attention to her device.

While Charlotte patted Raven's shell-shocked hand Briar was in for a shock herself.

Blondie had just hexted her that Dexter had disrespected Cupid so she was off to slay him and could Briar please provide an alibi whilst she went off and murdered the boy in his own bed?

"Excuse me something really pressing has just come up." Briar said over her shoulder as she dashed off already placing a call to Daring.

Hopper appeared on the rim of the fountain found outside the school doors.

"If there is a matter of great concern to the beautiful Briar then I must follow." He croaked dramatically in his amphibian form.

"Need some help getting to her lil' buddy?" Tiffany appeared from around the fountain, dragging along a tied up Edward like a small child would a plush animal.

"That would be most appreciated." The frog-boy hopped onto Tiffany's shoulder.

"Oh yeah sure just decide where to go running off to. Don't even consider what Edward has to say." Edward griped as he was being pulled along.

Tiffany and Hopper did not lose their smiles. "Oh and did you have a pressing engagement somewhere else?" The blonde human countered to her bundled partner.

"No. But I would appreciate some consideration towards my input." The bound boy pouted.

"Sure, sure. Do you want to go for some before dinner ice cream after this? My treat." Tiffany smiled over her unoccupied shoulder.

"Well as long as you're buying." Edward huffed, though his mood seemed considerably lighter.

"What was that all about?" Charlotte mumbled looking suspiciously off in the direction they had all went.

"Welcome to Ever After High." Raven sighed tugging the fellow witch in the direction of the village.


	11. The one with the indecision

Author's note (skip if you don't feel like reading):

Wow. Did I really write this in just eight days?

Apple, being the heir to what appears to be a very important kingdom, and thus will have been trained to think on her toes.

Also here's a funny fact about love; sometimes you just don't know what to name these strong feelings that you have for this person until it gets pointed out to you, once it is things just seem to click into place.

Sometimes this can be a good thing, but sometimes there are… problems with loving this person…

In Raven's case she loves Apple enough to let her go.

In Apple's case she loves Raven enough to try to find a way to keep her.

In Daring's case he never stood a chance, but he still wants to be her friend.

In Cupid's case she is starting to figure out that maybe the one she fell in love with… just isn't the best match, despite her feelings for him.

Dexter just had his first crush fall for someone else; he was never really _in love_, but because of his insecurities and inexperience he can't quite understand that there is a difference between the two.

Cerise and Briar are beginning to drift out of their first loves and are slowly starting to find their feelings directed in a different, yet similar, direction.

Maddie and Kitty are in love, and very happy about it.

The Evil Queen… no. _Just no!_ If you see someone like her walking around call the freaking police! Seriously!

Things are starting to heat up folks.

XXX

The one with the indecision

XXX

Apple sat in one of the deserted student lounges reading one of a stack-full of books on witch etiquette and various cultures, especially those pertaining to love and marriages.

Ginger had helped her check out about a dozen from the library and let her borrow some of her own books leftover from her private studies back home. Then Cupid had crossed their way and somehow she had ended up adding several electronic books from her account to Apple's (Apple had tried the mirrorbooks first but then found out that she should definitely read those when she was alone in her dorm with the door locked. She didn't think that she'd ever stop blushing).

Cupid appeared quite tickled that Apple was being so serious with Raven, and Apple realized with a dropping stomach that the whole school probably knew about Raven's feelings for her before she did.

Well Raven _had_ warned her about this, even though she was too deep in denial to really comprehend it at the time.

It also explained why Ginger was eyeing her so critically, like she was trying to decipher the princess and determine whether or not she posed a threat to Raven.

Oh Ancestors, was she going to get the same looks from all of the Rebels?

Just as the thought entered her mind Darling had passed by. The Charming girl stopped, paused, and gave Apple the exact same look that Ginger had been giving her.

So the answer was; yes, _yes_ they were.

It wasn't just the Rebels who were giving her odd looks, many fairies and other witches were eyeing Apple oddly too, a lot of them seemed to be giving her pretty judgmental glances for some reason.

She should ask Raven about that. Did she unknowingly make a cultural offence sometime in the past few days?

Several other people who had crossed her way that day had come up to warn her that Briar was looking for her.

Apple may or may not have switched seats with a few people in the classes she shared with the other princess because she knew that if her friend was as vexed as the somewhat terrified looks of others suggested that Briar may be in such a state of mind where she would start in on Apple in front of a full class and not care that everyone could listen in.

Briar may be her BFFA but there was a reason Apple took care not to rile the other up, which was why she had kept her suspicions of Briar turning Rebel to herself, unlike Ashlynn, Briar was far more… intimidating. Whenever Apple gathered the courage to bring it up Briar somehow always knew before she even spoke a word and changed the subject with a feral gleam in her eye that dared Apple to go there. So Apple never went there.

Now that classes were over Apple patiently read chapters on human/witch royal marriages and other legal relations (it suddenly dawned on her why Raven had looked so ill when she had discussed her grandmother's… favored company) and waited patiently for the moment Briar might find her hiding spot and thus proceed to come in and kill her.

She did kind of deserve it she supposed with an embarrassed sigh; after all it had taken guts for Raven to confess to her and Apple didn't want to believe… didn't want things to change.

But _nothing had to change_ she didn't have to lose Raven because Raven loved Apple enough to let her live her fairytale and Apple…

Apple had taken Ashlynn's advice, and the speed in which her mind came to certain conclusions… _hex_ her princess training and her senses of duty went up in smoke so fast that Apple really wondered if she had ever been as interested in becoming Snow White as she had convinced herself to be… or if she was just lying to herself again.

But oddly enough it wasn't the issue of her actually doubting her fairytale that was at the forefront of her mind. Actually the tale of Snow White issue had been left to simmer at the back of her mind.

Apple wanted to kiss Raven.

_Everywhere_.

Apple had said such things before but she had been under the impression that was normal for close friends… because surely she couldn't be harboring… _feelings_ for Raven… well at the time she had figured that.

But there was a certain heat that burnt her insides pleasantly when she thought about how Raven had trusted her so much that she allowed Apple to see her, bear her scarred skin for the princess, to speak of her painful past, to let Apple whisper words of encouragement that seemed to be a balm the witch's fears of Apple turning her away.

Apple could not deny that she… loved the feeling of Raven submitting herself to Apple in such a way, and Apple still wanted to take things further, to take them into uncharted territory by kissing Raven's old wounds better a-and…

It felt… strange now that she was allowing herself to think of what she would have liked to have done… in the forest or… in Raven's bed, Apple couldn't stop the images of where she took Raven's tearful face into her hands and kissed them all away, murmuring soothing words to balm the witch's fears or… bring Raven flush on top of her and kiss her breathless before accepting the witch's terms (minus Daring, this would be a world without fairytales after all) readily and Apple would hold Raven's hand through the halls of the school and ask her to meet Apple's family and Apple would smugly look the Evil Queen in the eye and say that Raven was hers and hers alone and the nasty woman _couldn't do a thing about it_.

She tried thinking the same things about Daring and other princes but… it didn't feel right! Even the kisses in her mind felt so… fake! And she never could bring herself to imagine responding in the same intensity that she wanted to do with Raven. Or kissing those boys _anywhere_ but the lips, somehow the concept of kissing someone who was not _Raven_ in the same manor she desired to do with the witch was… nauseating.

She had hugged Daring before and she did not feel the same longing to fuse with him and stay like that forever like she did with Raven, and his curves were in the wrong places, he was too broad in the shoulders and too scrawny in the waist for her to get a good grip on him, his neck was too wide and it had that annoying Adam's apple that never failed to be the first thing her eyes were drawn to because it looked like he had a bouncy ball stuck in his neck (when she was younger she couldn't stop giggling at it), his skull too blocky, his legs too hairy, his musky smell was just too over powering sometimes for her liking, he loved his reflection way too much, he was boastful of things that he had no idea about, he looked like he was her brother in family photos (never mind that they were distantly related, like third cousins twice removed), his voice was too low, again he loved his refection more than things like food and sleep let alone her, and even though she found his personality charming, she didn't find him romantically attractive.

She had known this before but now that she had Raven whom she was romantically attracted to and who was obviously attracted to her in return for a comparison… minus the fairytale it should've been a no brainer.

She loved the way Raven fit against her body when they embraced, her curves aligning with hers and all of the perfect grab-able places where the princess could put her hands, she loved how Raven's breasts and waist could be made into the most comfortable pillow ever, she adored how Raven would admire Apple in those quiet moments when it was apparent that the witch was looking at her and Apple loved how that made her feel like the fairest of them all.

Was this what Ashlynn felt for Hunter? Was this what had caused her to take a huge risk just for a few short years of happiness?

She wondered if Raven had ever tried to imagine what life would be like if Apple…

The princess frowned halting the thought before it could form, Raven had said that she was under no illusion that because of Apple's fairytale the witch stood no chance and aside from the whole Rebel thing, Raven wasn't the type of person that hoped for things that she knew for a fact that she couldn't achieve.

Why did this make Apple more sad then… relieved?

At this time Cerise blinked into the room, sitting beside the princess in the last clean spot, acting as if the couch wasn't covered in books.

"You've already heard this plenty of times today; but Briar is out hunting for your blood." The hooded girl stated bluntly not sounding concerned for Apple's wellbeing whatsoever.

"That's why I'm hiding in here." Apple pointed out sounding a little smug despite of herself. "She never looks in the rooms that remind her of schoolwork."

"You do know that she's just going to get more and more vexed until she finds you right?" Cerise asked sounding just the teeniest bit amused.

Apple sighed leaning back to look at the ceiling. "Raven told me that she loves me, that I hold her witch's heart. I needed some time to think."

"And how is that going for you?" Cerise asked mirroring the princess's position. She sounded a little relieved that the princess seemed to be a little bit more coherent; Hunter had called her before lunch to update her on the details he had heard from Raven that morning. He had mentioned that Raven had finally gotten through to the girl, now the question was how would Apple react to such news (the news that Apple had finally realized her error had Briar swearing in relief in what Cerise could have sworn was a mage or witch latanic tongue dialect. When Cerise asked about it after the princess had calmed down Briar had looked shifty and mumbled something about a grandmother on her father's side teaching her the language).

Briar was still pretty peeved about Apple's behavior though, and she had sent Cerise out to help her search for the girl after school hours had finished, when the princess seemed to have vanish into thin air.

For the sake of her own skin the wolf child had no qualms delivering Apple White to the furious storm that was Briar Beauty, but first she would like to see where princess's current state of mind was. Hey if she was suddenly the unofficial Royal faction's confessions person then she was going to make certain that Raven's wellbeing was safe with the princess.

Even though having all of these Royal people spilling their secrets and feelings to her was very unnerving (with the exception of Briar, but then again Briar was mostly Rebel now so there wasn't nearly as much worrying about fairytales much to Cerise's relief, she wanted to keep Briar around in her life, the girl was turning out to be pretty cool).

"I appreciate Ashlynn's decision a lot more, I can see why she refuses to give up on him, even with such an uncertain future." Apple confessed, causing Cerise to stop breathing at the uncharacteristic sentiment.

"Huh?" The hooded one stared at the other girl wide-eyed.

"I don't know how she knew before I did but Ashlynn passed me this note in class and… well I followed it." The princess murmured faintly, passing said note to Cerise to read.

"Well." Cerise coughed after she had finished reading. "I do suppose that she'd be the reigning expert at this sort of situation." She couldn't help but think of her own parent's situation, of her heritage.

Maybe she wasn't so alone in the forbidden love child area as she had once thought, there seemed to be a great many Royals who were willing to risk it all just to be with the ones they loved. Who knows how many family trees were altered somewhere down the line.

With hope that might mean that she wasn't actually distantly related to that idiot Sparrow. It was nice to dream that at the very least.

"She has been very calm." Apple agreed. "I guess that when she saw me in class she probably saw how she had been like right before she got together with Hunter. It's very… it's a very disconcerting thought."

"So… you have… feelings for Raven." Cerise clarified, wanting to make sure that she was correctly understanding the princess.

Apple hugged herself. "It scares me how quickly my brain settled on those thoughts of… what a world without a fairytale would have… how quickly I would have accepted Raven's feelings if I was not destined to become Snow White."

"So you're saying that when you gave yourself permission to think about you and Raven… together, it all just clicked?" Cerise blinked owlishly.

Apple nodded.

"Well that was quick." The hooded girl let out a low whistle.

Maybe she should just call Kitty and tell her that her closet idea might be able to hold some water…

"Well I had been thinking about these kind of things under the guise that it was just friendship, I had even gone so far as to lay out a plan on how to take Raven on as my second spouse." The princess looked down, shamed faced.

"But I can't give Raven everything that she wants… I don't think at least, I mean I know that if I asked her to she'd become my consort and bear our witchlings… and love me with everything possible, but how could I give her the same devotion? Sure she wouldn't have to worry about me cheating on her with Daring but… Briar was right, between the fairytale and a Prince Charming where would that put Raven? It isn't fair that I can't give her the same amount of devotion as she would with me. It isn't fair that her kiss can't wake me up. It isn't fair that there is a very real possibility that she could disappear if I don't find her another fairytale, and it isn't fair that I still want her to be apart of mine!"

Apple slumped down a little, hugging the book she had been reading to her chest. "I know that lately I've been a bit… crazy, and, if Briar had heard what I have been telling you right now, she probably really would end up killing me either for coming to all of these conclusions too quickly, or for not figuring all of this out fast enough, or both!" She laughed slightly but the tone of it sounded hollow. "I'm probably going to have to hide from her for a while."

Cerise had to pinch herself. Hard. Was Apple white really contemplating Rebellious thoughts?

Maybe the world was coming to an end… that or something she ate was giving her strange dreams.

Ow. Nope, pinching hurt. A lot. Not dreaming. Though she did need to get a better feel for her own strength during shocking situations, that pinch was already turning the skin on her arm red. That was going to be some bruise.

"Ashlynn said to try to find some sort of loophole right?" Cerise asked eyeing the darkening skin on her arm with mild interest.

"But I still have to fulfill my destiny!" Apple clutched her head in despair. "I was conceived to become the next Snow White, I was taught how to be the fairest of them all since I've been in diapers, how can I become Snow White and still keep Raven? I don't want to let her go but I also don't want to lose my destiny and disappear too!" The princess still clutching her skull bent her head almost to her knees and focused on trying not to cry.

"Yes, it's quite the riddle you're in." Cerise commented sarcastically, but then paused, an idea forming in her mind. "Talk to Maddie."

"What?" Apple turned her head to look at Cerise her eyes dangerously misted up.

"Maddie is Raven's best friend and she is from Wonderland." Cerise explained slowly, as if talking to someone who had hit their head repeatedly when they were a child and had sustained life long cognitive problems as a result. "Not only does Maddie understand riddles but she would also know a great deal about witch culture, and she is Raven's best friend, between those three things she is the best expert on this matter."

Apple sat up slowly. "Do you really think that she can help?" she asks, sounding tentative and vulnerable.

Cerise looks the princess in the eye. "Is Raven worth you giving this a try?"

Apple doesn't reply right away, she is too busy frantically picking up books.

"She should be at her family's Tea Shoppe by the time I have a chance to put these things away." The princess muttered to herself racing out of the room.

Cerise took a moment to lie down fully onto the couch, she felt exhausted just talking to Apple White for less than ten minutes. It really must be love for Raven to find _that_ royal mess attractive on a level that ran deeper than just an aesthetic appreciation for that pretty princess mask.

Moving as little as possible she flicked on her Mirrorphone, Briar's vengeful face appearing on the screen.

"Did you find her?" The princess had an attractive wildness about her, much like a huntress searching for prey.

Cerise closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Found her, had a talk with her that mostly consisted of me getting mental whiplash by her thought process, she admitted to being in love with Raven by the way, and then I sent her to go find Maddie so that she can hopefully have some sort of Wonderlandian epiphany to just stop worrying about her fairytale and take Raven to be her lawfully wedded witchy maiden queen."

A pause, and then Brair screeched. "What? Hold it right there girly! Did you just say that she admitted to being in love with Raven?"

"Apparently Ashlynn gave her some advice, Apple followed it, and in the span of a few hours our princess has finally realized that she returns Raven's feelings." The hooded girl gestures tiredly.

Briar stares.

"I know that was my reaction too." Cerise nods knowingly. "Predictably she is still going on about her fairytale and how she is stuck on trying to find a way to keep both Raven and the title of Snow White."

At the moment Cerise almost felt like she was tattling on Apple to a higher authority but it was worth it to see the broad scope if faces that Briar was pulling. When it was other people in trouble Cerise found Briar's kickass attitude very refreshing compared to the whiny pouts of the other princesses.

"Did you move Raven's bag to my room?" The princess's face settled on something that was wild and determined.

"Yes ma'am'." Cerise confirmed, she saluted and everything.

"Good." Briar's face seemed to morph into a darker emotion. "I'm going over to the village after I'm finished here to see if I can head Apple off before she sees that Raven is hanging out with Charlotte."

Cerise raised her eyebrows.

"I know, but when I confronted them earlier Charlotte explained that what she had said to Apple the other day was just her way of coming to Raven's defense in a way that would really piss Apple off. Apparently Apple had been very rude and had broken a whole bunch of witchy protocols on politeness and proper courting laws just by announcing all of that insanity yesterday." Cerise noted that Briar looked somewhat akin to a very embarrassed mother or older sibling. "So in accordance to witch edict Charlotte defended Raven's honor by unofficially proclaiming that Raven was going to be honor bound to the house of the Thorn clan if Apple kept up such deplorable rudeness."

"Does this extend to Daring as well?" Cerise mused. "Because that would explain why Ginger offered him asylum under the Breadhouse name."

"Huh, so that what that was all about." Daring's voice came from somewhere off camera.

"He's gotten several similar offers." Darling's voice carried in as well. "It's so nice that people care about your wellbeing." She half teased her sibling.

"…Briar, how many people are with you and why?" Cerise asked; her gut was getting a bad vibe.

Hopper leaped onto Briar's head looking extremely worried for an amphibian. "It's just tragic Cerise! Dexter's broken heart over Raven left him in a twisted state causing him to leave rude voicemails on Raven's mirrorphone for both her and the lovely Cupid, thankfully our fair maiden witch did not have the opportunity to listen to the caustic remarks of a heartbroken boy… but Blondie did. She's been demanding that Dexter be slain by her hand immediately!"

Cerise sat up, unconsciously tugging at her hood. "Should I?"

"No." Briar assured with a smile. "We've got this under-"

"Great Ancestor poets! She's scaling the wall! And she's got a sword!" Little froggy Hopper screamed pointing to something off screen.

"On second thought, Cerise?" Briar asked, her widening eyes fixed to the same spot the little frog on her head was pointing to.

"On it." Cerise was at the boy's dorms within a few seconds.

"How the fairytale did she manage to get my sword without me noticing?" Darling asked sounding hurt that she did not feel her prized sword being stolen off her body.

Cerise looked up in the direction that everyone else was staring, sure enough there was a hood wearing blonde girl scaling the stone wall of the boy's dorms like a pro mountain climber, which was very impressive but also very worrying, seeing as how one wrong slip could cause Blondie to plummet the increasingly longer way to the ground and if she was successful in reaching the dorm room balcony…

"Why is she scaling the wall?" She asked Briar. She had heard Hopper's retelling but for all of his fancy words she still did not have all of the right information.

Briar must have guessed this because she took Hopper off of her head and placed him on Darling's shoulder. "Raven left her mirrorphone in Blondie's room, so when it beeped indicating that there was a voicemail Blondie naturally opened it and as Hopper had said Dexter did not take Raven's love for Apple well. Blondie texted me saying that she was going to teach him a lesson… one thing led to another, and then there was a big group of us and she showed all of us the messages… they weren't very… pretty." Briar made a face indicating to Cerise that whatever had been said by the second oldest Charming had been far more offensive then her princess politeness was willing to voice. There was also a hint of protective rage hidden behind the princess's words a fact that was punt

"You don't think that she'll actually kill Dexter do you?" Cerise mumbled with a hint of awe, for a girly girl Blondie was crawling up the wall with the elegance of a giant blonde tarantula.

"Kill… doubtful, but I think that her main objective is to maim his mind in a manor that will leave him a vegetable." Briar mused. The rest of the group stared at the princess wide-eyed.

"Just because princesses and maidens allow themselves to be rescued by princes all the time does not make us any less dangerous." Briar looked at them all flatly. "As I'm sure Darling has demonstrated quite well during the game yesterday."

Darling couldn't help but give the princess a small smile at the acknowledgement of her hard work to become stronger to the point where she was an equal match with her brothers when it came to hero subjects (and lately she was even surpassing her brothers much to her delight).

"So she won't kill him? She'll just chew him out to an inch of his life?" Edward said carefully.

"Yes but we still should do something!" Daring said worriedly as he stood by the wall in preparation to catch the incensed reporter should she fall. "Blondie please stop this! He just needs a little time to grieve-"

"What he needs is a spanking, I'm not going to stop until he takes back what he said about Cupid and Raven!" The climbing girl snarled back.

"Oh dear." Hopper whimpered, Blondie sounded really scary just then.

Daring looked at the assembled group. "Please help me out here." He plead, even if Dexter was being a jerk he still was his little brother and he did not want to leave him at the mercy of a very angry Blondie.

"I have two moms." Edward stated simply, looking tall and fiercely proud despite still being tied up. "He may be hurt that his crush is gay but no one deserves to be told those kind of hurtful words over something that they can't control. Let alone because they don't share the same feelings for him."

"What he's suggesting;" Tiffany began draping her arms over the spider-boy's shoulders. "Is that perhaps a little scolding is what Dexter needs?" She looks down at the captured boy. "Which may be true Edward but if Blondie was just going to talk she would not have stolen that sword, and as your momma always says; violence will only breed a situation that has gotten out of control. Even if he is being a jerk we have no choice but to help him out at this point in time."

"And that's why my mother's are so fond of you." Edward smiled back up at his captor.

"He's not normally this cruel." Darling stated sounding like she had been hurt by her brother's words more than he let on, she distracted herself by eyeing Blondie's assent, she was just a dozen yards away from target. "Under normal circumstances he'd never say anything that could hurt Cupid, or be so narrow minded to people like Raven… people like… me." She coughed looking down sharply.

Daring quickly took his little sister's hand and gave it a squeeze before reassuming his catching position.

"Well we ought to work quickly then." Cerise stated determined. "Daring. Keys. Now."

"What?"

"She needs to get into your dorm." Briar clarified. "Unless you want her to break down your door…"

Daring tossed her the keys.

"C'mon Darling, you can show me the way right?" Cerise asked as she started towards the building's entrance.

"Yep! It's this way!" The girl-knight started to run, forcing Hopper to cling to her shoulder armor as he rode along.

Briar turned to the only other female left on the ground. "Tiffany, do you think that you can fashion a net with those ropes? That balcony is pretty high up and although Daring's been trained for catching maidens, somehow I don't think that they've covered catching maidens with swords in hero training."

"On it." Was all the blonde said before she pulled on the ropes bounding Edward and caused him to spin rapidly as he unraveled. Tiffany couldn't help a few snickers escape her as the older boy screeched at the rough treatment.

At the sound of Edward's squeal Dexter looked up from his (manly) sniffling into a tub of triple flavor ice cream (vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate chip, the same kind Raven had so nicely shared with him at Briar's party after Duchess had grabbed his bowl and ran), he wiped his tearing eyes and blew his nose into yet another tissue (his bed was littered with over two dozen used ones) before slowly going up to the balcony to see what was going on.

He didn't have a chance to peer over the stone wall because Blondie leaped up at him with a blood-curdling war cry her (stolen) sword drawn and aimed towards him.

The first thought to enter Dexter's mind was _"BLUE BEAR!"_ because Blondie had chosen to wear a baby blue bear-themed hoodie with cute little bear ears sewn into the top sides of the hood, and her surgical mask sported little teddy bears printed onto the sky blue fabric.

The second thought, and the thought that stuck with him on repeat as he quickly avoided being slashed at by the sword was naturally; _"I'm going to die!" _along with several variations such as; _"I'm going to die heartbroken!"_,_ "I'm going to die_ _before I had the chance to apologize to Cupid!"_, and the classic six words uttered in many a comedy film; _"I'm going to die a virgin!"_

Unfortunately for Dexter he had screamed the last one out loud.

"Ha! As if I'd let you off easy by killing you!" The enraged girl roared. "Once I'm finished with you you're going to live the rest of your miserable life a eunuch _and_ a virgin!"

Blondie was obviously not amused.

"_WHY_!?" Dexter squealed at a very unmanly high pitch, jumping away from the blade of the sword as Blondie tried to make good on her threat.

"Because you hurt Cupid! And you were going to hurt Raven which would in turn hurt Apple!" The girl snarled rolling into a fighting crouch, preparing to attack again.

"They hurt me first!" The boy defended hands covering his crotch protectively. "And now you're trying to hurt me too!"

"This isn't about _you_, idiot! Raven and Apple can't help their feelings for one another and the only thing that Cupid ever did to you was to try being your best friend!" She lunged at him, only missing by inches.

Dexter hid behind a desk, the two darting back and forth in a stalemate as each looked for an opening.

"If Cupid was my friend then she wouldn't be so supporting of them!" He countered, letting the hurt bleed over his sensible judgment. "And it should be wrong for lesbians to exist because as long as they do what chance do good guy's like me have in getting a girlfriend? All that they are is a bunch of liars who break a guy's heart because they won't give someone like me a chance!"

"Is that what you really think?" Blondie roared as she leapt over the desk, just barely missing Dexter when he ducked and frantically tried to crawl away. "That because you never had a chance with a girl who only sees you as a platonic friend it justifies you acting like a bad guy and breaking the hearts of all the people who still care about your sorry hide?"

She grabs his ankle just before he has a chance to disappear under Daring's bed and yanks him out, bodily dragging him back towards the balcony.

"What about your sister?" The girl snaps at him, re-sheathing the sword in order to grab both of the boy's flailing legs. "Do you think that she's gross? Do you honestly think that she's a terrible person for loving girls and not wanting to spread her legs to some guy that she's been forced to marry? To have to endure the one-sided advances of a man whom she does not love and could _never be_ sexually attracted to?"

"Stop talking about my sister!" Dexter howled, nails digging into the floor, one hand scrambling for purchase for the post of his bed.

His head was pounding, his vision was blurring from both the welling tears and his head injury, and with several frightened whines Dexter realized with growing terror that he didn't have much fight left in his physical body.

"No!" Blondie immediately denied his plea. "Because what you're asking of Raven is the exact same thing that unknown prince or hero is going to be asking of your sister! You're asking her to lie to herself and to you! You're asking her to become utterly miserable being your girlfriend in exchange for you to selfishly pretend that everything is all right! You should know enough about Raven by now that when given a choice between her own happiness and the selfish expectations of others she is going to choose to defend her own happiness with everything she's got every. Single. Time!"

Dexter made a distressed sound as his grip weakened on the bedpost. "She was supposed to end up with me…" He sobbed. "She's so nice, it would have made sense for her to give a nice nerdy guy like me a chance."

Blondie snarled as she pulled on the boy's legs with everything she had, causing Dexter to bump his nose harshly onto the cold stone floor before being twisted onto his back so fast that Dexter's head rang in protest.

"She can't be with you and be honest about her feelings at the same time. And for you to want her to lie, just so that you can have a girlfriend to play with does not make you a nice guy. It makes you one of the worst bad guys I have ever met." The blonde told him coldly voice eerily calm. With the setting sun from the balcony to her back Blondie looked like a terrifying shadowed Spector, especially with the whites of her eyes reflecting some of the sunrays escaping into the room making it seem as though they were glowing.

The girl dropped one foot, pinching a sensitive nerve behind the Achilles heel of the foot that was still captured whenever he so much as twitched to kick her with his newly freed limb. It didn't matter much though, between his injuries and his aching heart his body was beginning to give out on him. As much as he desperately wanted to he could no longer fight back.

Her tone was almost singsong as she slowly reached back to unsheathe the sword slung up and waiting on her back. "In fact I'd say that you are just not right in the head."

Dexter screamed.

XXX

"What's taking them so long?" Daring asked the air worriedly as the shouting and sounds of a fight from his dorm room balcony continued. He was still poised facing the dorm wall to start catching people in the event the other's three-sided net proved inefficient to safely hold all of the people who had rushed into his and his brother's dorm room.

"Well… if I were to hazard a guess…" While keeping her tight hold on the quickly fashioned web-like net, Tiffany pointed her chin in the direction of the boy's dorm west entrance where several of the dormitory's inhabitance could be seen making a break for it.

"The girl's dorm ghost is here and it's gonna make us all sing sopranooooo~! Run, run the ghost is heeeere~!" Sparrow Hood sang as he ran past them, which explained why so many boys were running out of the dorm instead of maybe running towards the obviously distressed Dexter to help him out, if the young music artist had been singing that kind of stuff from his room on the third floor all the way down to ground level.

"Sparrow…" The muscle in Daring's jaw twitched, now knowing the cause for such panic and thus the reason why his brother was not being rescued fast enough.

"Pico Paco would never do something like that!" Tiffany sniffed affronted.

"Pico… Paco…?" Briar asked wearily.

"She caught the fabled ghost of the girl's dorm and turned it into her pet." Edward sighed despairingly. "As far as I can tell it was a product of a freak magical experiment with coffee gone wrong."

When Tiffany gifted him with a chilly smile Edward cleared his throat. "However it has proven to be a very good pet and I do agree that there is no way something that is five and a half inches tall could cause such harm."

Daring shook his head in utter disappointment when Tiny's rapid footfalls shook the ground; he was carrying half the dorm in his arms and shoulders.

Why have hero training if so many weren't brave enough to aid their fellow man? Sure Dexter was no maiden by any stretch of the imagination but that still didn't mean that he couldn't use a hand right now!

Everyone within hearing vicinity fell silent for a heart dropping moment when Dexter screamed loud enough to wake the dead.

Daring prepared himself to climb the stone wall himself when he heard a third, blessedly familiar voice ring out clearly over the renewed screams of the retreating horde of boys.

"Blondie Lockes, drop your sword!"

"Oh thank the ancestors, Cerise!" Daring prayerfully sighed in relief.

Sounds of a scuffle could be heard, mostly consisting of Cerise's growls and Blondie snarling back at her with just as much vigor, occasionally Hopper's distressed ribbit's could be heard, but it wasn't until Darling triumphantly declared that she had regained possession of her prized weapon that things seemed to quiet down.

There was silence for several tense minutes before then Cerise and Darling peered over the balcony railing.

"Get ready to catch Blondie! We're sending her down!" Darling called, then she seemed to think for a moment before yelling down again. "Daring! Catch Cerise, and make sure that she gets patched up will ya?"

"H-hey I'm perfectly fine!" Cerise protested as Darling picked up a safely restrained Blondie all swaddled up in bed sheets and unceremoniously pitched her over the balcony only to be safely caught by the rope net.

"If you don't put some ice on those bruises now then people will start asking questions, and when they start asking questions then we can't keep this whole incident a secret from the Headmaster." Darling stated flatly motioning to the balcony. "Relay that message to the others please. Hopper and I can take care of my brother."

"Indeed we will!" Hopper croaked from Dexter's bed as he fanned the passed out Dexter with a handkerchief clutched in his tiny front frog feet.

Cerise pouted but held her hands over her covered ears (so that her hood didn't fall back while falling), stepped onto the balcony ledge, and jumped down.

Daring caught her, immediately looking Cerise over for wounds. The boy made a distressed sound at the sight of her torn clothes, the oozing scrapes and scratches that littered her body, and some reddening welts she had on her arms and one big one on her jaw.

What was the most disconcerting thing of all was the fact that she was grinning like she had just gone on a rollercoaster and found the experience exhilarating.

"When Blondie gets over her flu we have to do a proper sparring session sometime." Cerise declared gleefully. "That little tumble was off the page!"

"That is if she doesn't catch pneumonia after this little stunt." Briar gave Blondie a reproving look. The reporter replied with a coughing fit.

"I wasn't actually going to kill him." Blondie grumped breathlessly in response to Daring's protective glare. "I only intended to scare him into telling me why he was acting like such a jerk and then tie him up and make him apologize to Cupid semi-publically on my private mirrorblog account which can only be accessed by Cupid, myself, Humph…rey…" The girl sneezed, coughing a little more. "And Dexter. But unfortunately for me he fainted before I could get to the apologizing part."

"It's true." Cerise confirmed trying to gently wiggle out of Daring's hold. "When we burst in she was trying to revive him so that she could do just as she said."

"But… you're _hurt_!" Daring emphasized still stubbornly holding Cerise in his arms as if he feared that she'd break if he let go.

"She had some frustrations that needed to be let out." Cerise shrugged lightly as if getting into a fistfight with the other girl was nothing. "I offered to help her out with that."

Daring just stared at her.

"Hey it may not happen often sometimes girls need a good fight to make themselves feel better!" Cerise huffed indignantly. "It's not just a boy thing you know."

Actually until that day Cerise had just assumed that it was just a normal girl and boy thing and not a maiden thing but when Blondie had stood there shaking with repressed rage, snarling that she just wanted to punch at _something_ Cerise had taken a chance by offering up herself to fight with as a means for the Blonde to vent.

To everybody's surprise Blondie had charged and Cerise was pleased to note that the budding reporter had some moves.

"You still need to get patched up before people see you at school tomorrow and ask questions that could get both Blondie and Dexter into trouble." Briar cut in just as Daring was opening his mouth to protest Cerise's noble but (in his mind) very worrying behavior.

The princess walked up to the two and clasped the hooded girl's hand almost sweetly. "You might get into trouble too for getting into a fight, regardless of how cathartic it may have been for Blondie or how you consented to being scuffed up a bit and how you refrained from using your full strength against her so that she could come away with barely a scratch."

Briar looked at Cerise knowingly, Cerise blushed, using her free hand to tug down her hood humbly to try and hide the pink staining her cheeks.

"Darling and Hopper want to keep all of this hush, hush too. It's probably for the best so that all of us don't get into trouble for being a part of the whole boy's dorms emptying out." Cerise grumbled at the memory of trying to dodge the crowd of fleeing boys, some of who tried to _"rescue"_ herself and Darling as they tried to struggle past.

Briar smiled knowingly, squeezing her hand. "Glad that you came to the same conclusion."

"Great minds think alike and all that jazz." Cerise muttered blushing redder.

Edward coughed awkwardly. "We'll just take this one back to her dorm." He said even though only Daring seemed to have heard him, he was the only one to look up, the princess and the hooded girl were too busy with staring at each other. So Tiffany and Edward left quietly, a half-asleep Blondie carried between them.

"You need to go find Apple." Cerise reminded.

"Hmmm." Briar acknowledged but did not move.

"And return Raven's phone." Cerise pointed out, but Briar just chuckled.

"And inform both Raven and Apple of the new sleeping arrangements." Cerise tried again, this time earning a sigh from the other girl.

"And Daring needs to sneak you into your dorm so that you can change and put something on that welt before it bruises." Briar gingerly fingered the reddened skin on Cerise's jaw.

"Today has been exhausting." Cerise seemed to be agreeing with Briar's unspoken sentiment. "Be sure to get some sleep after your work is done, and don't hesitate to call if you need some extra girl power."

Briar smiled looking touched. "Only if you promise to take me out running at the next opportunity between crisis's."

"Deal." Cerise shook the other's hand before letting go.

"Do you think that you can handle this quest?" Briar asked Daring.

The boy smiled tiredly at the two of them. "Yes, I believe I can. I need to change these bandages anyway and a nap… sounds heavenly at this point."

"You two have certainly earned a nap." Briar agreed, letting Cerise go. "Take care of her Charming, if I don't end up calling her for help I expect to come back to the dorms and find her properly bandaged up and the two of you well rested from that nap."

"T-the two of us?" Daring asked blushing.

"Well it would be easier for you to sneak back into your sister's dorm under the cover of night." Cerise pointed out, giving him a look that stated she had known that he was going back to stay with his sister after everything was all said and done.

"I'm sure that Cedar won't mind you hiding out with us, she'll probably be working on one of her and Raven's little side projects regarding that new plant of theirs so things will be pretty quiet in our dorm."

"I- thank-you." The prince seemed to relax a bit at the open invitation.

He wanted to see his brother but Daring knew that if his brother woke up while Daring was in the same room… his presence would not be appreciated. It broke his heart but if Dexter needed some space to get his head back in order then Daring, ever the charming big brother he tried to be, would oblige to those wishes.

That did not stop him from mirrorchatting with Darling later that evening until Dexter woke up and predictably kicked everyone out.

Daring really hoped that this hurt phase would pass soon. It was exceedingly risky staying at the girl's dorms (even under platonic intentions); maybe he could ask Hunter or Tiny if they had some spare room tomorrow…

XXX

Raven and Charlotte were sitting together at the same table in the open-air café.

Talking to each other.

What was most frustrating was that they were talking in some latanic dialect that Apple had heard Raven utter when conducting spells (she had on some occasions heard Briar speak latanic tongue too while she was speaking to her dad, but _only_ when Sleeping Beauty _wasn't around_), but despite having taught Apple a few of these spells, the witch did not had the time to teach Apple what those strange words actually meant yet! Raven had also mentioned something about the power of the word and how Apple needed to learn how to control her power output first lest she say something unintentionally in the tongue and turn some innocent bystander's hair florescent pink (Apple was still waiting for the full story on that one).

They were talking to each other but Apple didn't understand a lick to listen in properly!

But back to the point, the two were talking to each other! Like in a, Charlotte-seduced-Raven-and-now-we-are-on-a-date-sitting-at-the-same-table-and-talking-to-each-other, sort of way.

Well maybe it wasn't quite that severe, after all Raven did have more self worth than to let herself be used by another just so that she could get over Apple quicker.

So it wasn't a date but that did not mean that Charlotte wasn't going to try to turn it into one.

And then try to seduce innocent Raven into Faybelle's dorm where the two evil Thorn cousins would-

"Gah!" Apple shook her head rapidly to get rid of the horrible mental images circulating in her brain.

Raven was a good judge of character; Apple was just being paranoid, and over possessive, Apple knew that she had no right to be so paranoid. It was Raven's life and since Apple was still not very _sure_ that she could find a way to keep Raven by her side the only thing that Apple could do was to begrudgingly accept this, step aside and-

"That's still pretty hard to believe…" Raven murmured suddenly switching to standard with a shy shake of her head. "I know that I keep saying this a lot but…" A slight laugh that sounded like fairy bells to Apple's ears. "I'm just having a difficult time imagining Faybelle going from the protective heir to the Thorn clan's honor to an affectionate spouse to the heir of a _rival clan_."

"I'm serious." Charlotte nodded with certainty. Apple flared up slightly but tamped down on it when the platinum blonde witch tensed and looked around suspiciously.

Apple hid further behind a menu and a table plant.

"Something wrong?" Raven asked, placing her hand on Charlotte's much to Apple's ire.

"…I could have sworn… nah, it's probably nothing." Charlotte said in an easygoing tone but her eyes did seem to narrow for a brief moment in Apple's direction before she returned her attentions to Raven. "Now that you pose no threat to the Thorn clan as the Evil Queen, Faybelle doesn't have to see you as a threat any longer. You are both the Rebel leader and now completely free of your old destiny, as the only registered heir to one of the oldest royal witch families you should be preparing for proposals of alliances and spouses not just from the house of Thorn but from other magical bearers too. Hex I wouldn't be surprised if others begin to offer you all types of marriage proposals now that you are free of your mother's stigma."

_What?_ Apple couldn't help the little growl that escaped her clenched teeth. So Charlotte _was_ trying to seduce Raven! Ooh when Apple got her hands around that little-

Raven sighed. "Well you are right about the proposals, I've already received a few from several interested individuals…" She trailed off thinking about Lizzie's offer with Maddie and Kitty's support. "Not including Apple's of course! That had been a… misunderstanding between two very different cultures."

Apple inhaled sharply her jealousy pushing at her weak control over Raven's power. Sure it may have been a… misunderstanding but… but that did not mean that she was just going to give up! Raven was free from her destiny now so maybe there was a way that Apple could have her fairytale and keep Raven too!

Maybe?

Wait! Did she say _several interested individuals_?! _Who_? _When did this happen_?

And more importantly how was Apple going to go about scaring the competition away… yes that did just sound over possessive but Raven had just confessed to her yesterday and Apple had _just_ realized her feelings today so she at least deserved a little time to figure out whether or not she could find a loophole to keep Raven!

Ashlynn had been right, now that Apple knew that she felt the same for Raven she found herself desperately wanting to find a way to make things work with Raven.

Apple didn't think that she could live happily ever after without Raven. She would be content but it would not be… it just would not be the happily ever after that she had always dreamed about.

And maybe through this loophole Raven's life could be spared. She wouldn't have to disappear.

But Apple was only going to let Raven completely go if there was no other way around the fairytale!

On the flip side she couldn't accept Raven's feelings until she had actually _found _a loophole so…

Charlotte hummed. "Yes, human royal marital allegiances are far more binding than a witch's, it's not like she could get away with a simple symbolic token marriage with Daring and a real marriage with you."

Apple scoffed. If only it were that simple.

But maybe… as a last resort might that work? Raven would not be happy about her marrying Daring, even if it was for a short time or… well maybe she'd be more open to it if it were just symbolically done… but nobody ever said that she had to bear a child from his seed! Hex, it was well known that during the early generations of the Book's existence many Snow Whites outsourced to other… more fertile and non-close relative… seeds.

If they hadn't her family would either have gone extinct or completely gaga _ages ago_.

Charlotte's features took on a more somber appearance. "I know that your cousin's and the other witches that have traveled here for the week see this whole fairytale reenacting business as just another symbolic ceremony but you know firsthand just how light that misconception makes of this whole business don't you." The witch stated gently, looking at Raven knowingly.

Raven retracted one of her hands in order to partially hug herself. "Daring told me that the Royals see their fairytales as a game they play to honor the ancestors before they go off and either live their lives or work on fulfilling their duties as a descendant of a fairytale under the names of their ancestors. It… the concept used to terrify me as a witchling, I didn't want to be evil or hurt people, even if it was all pretend, and I didn't want to loom another future Evil Queen for the sole purpose of their being an heir to the villain part of the story."

Like she was nothing but livestock. Apple winced at the notion, but the unspoken analogy was there, once again she kicked herself for being so pushy before Legacy Day and throwing such a tantrum when she did not get her way. For not taking care of her beloved Raven first.

Raven looked down and to the side, a bitter expression crossing her face. "Because of my mother there was no fun in it, no honor, I was just following in the footsteps of my mother and passing her cursed legacy down upon my own firstborn. I had never considered my family's story to be anything but a curse, and now that I know that before my mother's time my family had seen the tale of the Evil Queen the same way that the other witches do and they way your family does… I feel…"

"Cheated?" Charlotte supplied helpfully.

Raven nodded. "For a long… heartbreaking time I had just assumed that Apple and Daring, were only being nice to me because I was the key to their fairytale. That after the story was finished they would change their tune, hunt me down, and lock me up just like it had been depicted in that fake Book of Legends."

Apple's breath stopped for several beats.

Charlotte winced remembering how her cousin had call her up in a frothing rage because the Evil Queen had switched out the real book with a fake one and as it turned out nobody had actually signed the real Book at all.

If the Evil Queen had gone so far as to depict those images to her own daughter…

What a vindictive crazy old bat.

"But then a couple of weeks ago I overheard Apple talking to our friend Ashlynn about how she was sad that I couldn't be apart of the festivities after the story finished and how it had been customary for a Queen to perform the marriage ceremony and I… really didn't know what to feel at that moment. But I was happy to know that Apple… really does care, and that despite our different beliefs she was still willing to let me be apart of her life after the story." Raven smiled as she recalled the happy memory that affirmed Apple's friendship to her was… real.

The dark haired witch chuckled. "At least now I can start preparing for the future without having to worry about my fairytale… whatever future that may be I don't know but at least now I have a choice and a whole bunch of people who are willing to support me no matter what direction my path takes me."

"And you are gaining more support by the day." Charlotte leaned forwards with a brilliant charming grin, it wasn't blinding but it sure was shiny. "I certainly know that _I'm _bewitched."

Pink lightly tinted Raven's face as Charlotte leaned in a little further, Apple fumed as her new nemesis spoke in low tones little hints of that blasted latanic tongue reaching the princess's ears, what was even worse was that whatever the pale haired witch was saying made Raven blush brilliantly.

XXX

"Not to alarm you or anything but I think that your princess has been listening in on our conversation. At first I had just thought that I was just sensing things but that last little flare up confirms that we are not alone here." Charlotte spoke lowly in latanic her eyes covertly darting back and forth.

"What?" Raven gaped; she paused putting out her magical feelers for another power like her own. Because Ever After High was so saturated with mixed magics that weren't always properly maintained (what could you expect for an institution where tradition was so predominant that modern methods of maintaining magical balance were deemed "unnecessary" as long as the magic users could still preform their roles) and the different types of protection spells Raven's witchy intuition was… numbed. Considerably. So she had to really concentrate to get a feel of whether or not someone was using magic nearby.

"Oh Ancestors have mercy!" Raven hissed looking around wildly, she was trying to pinpoint Apple's exact location but because of her long-term stay at the school she was having difficulties.

"You know your ancestor Broom Mistress Serpent has developed a form of meditation to help with the sensory numbness that comes with living in places like Ever After High." Charlotte commented casually, still leaning in. "After we confirm whether or not we have been spied upon do you want to confront the princess first or do you just want for me to spirit ourselves directly to the Broom Mistress?"

"I-I can't believe her!" Raven blushed completely red. "Oh who am I kidding!" The blushing witch grouched. "This is hexactly the behavior that I should have been hexpecting!"

Charlotte's brows drew up. "So this whole thing with her looking at me like I'm ten seconds away from jumping you, following us as if I'd take advantage of you in a public place, and acting like I'm trying to take away her witch- even though she has made it clear that you two can never happen… _This_ is normal?"

Raven sighed. "L-Listen I… I know that Apple may come across as a bit… rude at times, but apparently this kind of weirdness is completely normal here. Every human princess, I have ever met acts in some variation to this type of behavior. Hex, the Headmaster is the worst out of the bunch! He tried to outright trick me into signing the Book you know!"

"I have heard." Charlotte nods patting Raven's hand, suddenly overcome with a huge wave of sympathy for her cousin, Raven, and all other witches and fairies at this utterly crazy school.

"I have a very Thorn-like idea…" Charlotte smiles flirtatiously, leaning back calling upon her power for a listening spell. "If the pretty lady will please play along with my mysterious fairy plan?"

Raven eyed her curiously but nodded slightly in consent.

"Watch as I greet thee as is custom to the witches of the Middle Sea region." Was all the warning Raven had before Charlotte kissed the back of her hand.

"And how is this common platonic gesture going to help us?" Raven asked blinking in confusion.

Charlotte smirked still holding the other's hand close to her face.

"Just give it a second."

XXX

Whatever Charlotte had said made Raven exclaim in a quiet sound of disbelief, she seemed to be so embarrassed by what the other witch had said that she looked around wildly as if afraid that someone had overheard. She too began speaking in latanic tongue but the way her voice stuttered and sounded so strained told Apple all that she needed to know.

Charlotte patted Raven's hand until she calmed down then shrugged, leaning back slightly a flirtatious smile adorned her face as she murmured words to an agitated Raven, her red aura flaring up as she moved to take Raven's hand and kiss the back of it.

Apple was not going to stand for this harassment!

The princess took out her phone dialing Raven's number. If Charlotte was going after her innocent Raven then Apple was just going to have to butt in and save the day!

"Hey Raven, I was wondering if you could help me with this magical charm spell from that book that you've given me? I'm super sorry if I'm interrupting anything but-"

"_Princess Apple White, heir to the highest human throne_!" Briar's voice snarled making Apple hang up immediately.

Maybe she dialed wrong?

"Raven. I need you to meet me at our dorm right awa-"

"I've got her phone genius." Briar stated dryly. "And don't you dare hang up on-"

Apple hung up again, set her phone down, and pushed it as far away from her as the tiny round table would allow.

Ignoring the continuous rings from her device, she looked over to the ones that she had been spying on.

Almost on cue Charlotte began speaking standard once again. "And that's how you should greet the Empress of the Middle Sea, this humble gesture will surely make her even more bewitched by you then she already is!"

"The Empress…?" Raven choked.

Charlotte grinned. "Is it really so hard to believe that you have a fan club out in the real world? My, my, my, Faybelle wasn't kidding when she said that all outside tabloids and newspapers with articles relating to you guys have been banned! I can show you an electronic copy of that article where she and bunch of other witchy big-wigs practically opened a mass invitation for you to seek asylum in their countries should you ever tire of human traditions and seek for better facilities to study your little wonder plant."

Raven's mouth opened and closed silently for a while. "What?"

"I'm not exaggerating!" Charlotte looked at her seriously. "I'm telling it like it is Raven, your one act of rebellion has sparked a lot of interest, and now your plant research and sudden freedom from the Evil Queen role has gained you a lot of good publicity. After all, before the Queen clan got wrapped up into this whole fairytale business you guys were considered a very powerful royal witch family, and the lands that your estate either owns or has a heavy influence over are considered the most fertile in the world. At this time you are the most sought out witch for marriage in several worlds, if you don't believe me just wait until the discreet offers for your hand suddenly start appearing in your room."

"O-offers?" Raven seemed to blush all over again once she realized that Charlotte wasn't telling all lies in her little speech. Her father had tearfully complained that his baby witchling was now officially on the market earlier that week. She had thought that he was being silly.

Now she knew that he wasn't being completely silly.

"Broom Mistress Serpent has more information about it. I know that here at Ever After High you don't have to worry so much about suitors asking for your hand left and right but with summer vacation coming around…." Charlotte trailed off and Raven shuddered.

"I guess I'd better see what I have to deal with." Raven sighed tiredly as she covered the other witch's hand with both her own and they disappeared in a cloud of red fairy dust.

Which was just as well because Apple had lost all control over her jealousy and now resembled a giant white flame.

XXX

"Was a lot of that… true?" Raven asked Charlotte when they appeared at the main entrance to the girl's dorm.

"All of it was true." Charlotte proclaimed distractedly, she was blinking owlishly at a group of terrified boys running past them with what looked like camping supplies, she noted that they all seemed to keep one hand protectively placed over their groin for some odd reason.

This school was weird, entertaining, but _so very weird_.

Raven felt a little faint. "Oh ancestors." She groaned.

She could just hear her grandmother's barking laughter at this whole situation.

She was _never_ going to live this down.

"Oh good Raven you're here." Briar called walking over.

Raven and Charlotte winced at the livid gleam in the princess's eye that accompanied the disturbance of air surrounding her.

Briar pressed Raven's missing phone into its owner's hand. "We have to talk." The princess told the witch ominously.

XXX

_Tap, tap, ping!_

Close. So close the shadows could taste it!

It would not be long now. Perhaps a dozen or so more nights more!

It could be sooner the entity supposed but that would put in too much risk.

The entity would not jeopardize all of this work only to be yanked away from the spawn… and the world again!

_Tap._

Little spawn.

_Tap._

Pretty little spawn.

_Tap._

Her pretty little spawn.

_Ping!_

Hers alone and not that little wenches!


	12. The one with discoveries

Author's note (skip if you want I'm too stuffy to care):

Sorry for the wait, I would have updated sooner but then I started to feel a bit under the weather while traveling. I had intended for this chapter to be longer but it is rather difficult to write when your sinuses are screaming at you because according to them it is just not natural for a human being to go from sea level to seven hundred feet up a mountain.

The pain… and also that thing where your ears pop? Continuously? Yeah… that's not fun either. Also the continuous altitude change makes me feel like my nose is stuffed up, even though it's not so… very difficult to write in my free time (too busy trying to sleep it off).

But I want to finish this story and I want to update (this whole thing started out as a personal challenge and I want to _finish it dangit_) so… here's a chapter that's about ten pages shorter than usual.

XXX

The one with discoveries

XXX

"So… all these scrolls are betrothal requests?" Ashlynn asked dumbstruck. There was like six heavy thick scrolls sitting in the middle of Cerise and Cedar's dorm room. They detailed propaganda about the family's accomplishments over the years, who hands were being offered, and why it would be beneficial to marry into their family.

When Raven had found out that people had already started offering her marriage requests she had been surprised, but that was nothing compared to her flabbergasted reaction to the large amount of requests and which families had sent them. Briar couldn't finish a proper string of latanic swear words she was so taken aback.

Broom Mistress Serpent had been all to glad to unburden herself of the heavy items, and all to amused at the flabbergasted looks she received (she nearly giggled the entire time).

Charlotte at the very least had tamped down on her humor long enough to help magically levitate everything to Cerise and Cedar's dorm before bidding everyone goodnight and making her way back to Faybelle's room.

"_Those_ scrolls are betrothal requests from Royal families with very large kingdoms." Briar pointed out trying to control her own laughter, now that the shock had died down she found the situation amusing too.

She held up a small cluster of colorful bags in one hand and a collection of choker necklaces with little metal chess pieces and various card symbol pendants in the other.

"_These_ little baggies are betrothal requests and token gift charms from the really old families, like _the_ _super ancient ones_, and these pretty necklaces were all smuggled in from Wonderland save this one with the pretty heart pendant." She disentangled said choker from the others and held it up.

"Lizzie, Maddie, and Kitty sure didn't waste much time." Raven sighed into the warm blanket wrapped around her with a shy little smile. She was glad that she had decided to wear just a tunic and leggings today because it was very difficult to curl up comfortably in clothes designed for an Evil Queen.

From his spot beside the witch Daring stared at her in confusion. "Um… just what do the necklaces signify Hexactly?" He asked slowly hefting one of the scrolls towards himself and taking a cursory peek inside the first few inches. His eyes widened at the Royal sigil to the _house of Merlin_ staring back at him.

"Wonderlandian royal families only choose the very best for their harems. By wearing one of these Raven will have publically announced which Wonderlandian harem she wishes to belong to." Briar grinned at the boy wickedly as he dropped the scroll with a yelp.

"Harem?" He gaped. "Lizzie wants her to be a- a _concubine_?"

"Royal wife to the Heart crown, and the tale of Wonderland actually." Raven hooked her blanket-enveloped hand around his and gave a reassuring squeeze.

"In Wonderland the kings, if the queen sees fit to even have a king, are merely figureheads, pretty faces whose sole purpose is to do things like taste food for poison, they're expendable I guess you could say. But it is the female and male harem wives who act as the queen's advisors and help bear an heir for the throne. They are also the only ones who can say no to the queen without being punished for it. It is a high honor in Wonderland to wear the clothing of a harem wife, and my current title technically makes me a queen which makes me eligible for the position; a royal title is usually the requirement for an outsider like me to even be considered becoming a harem wife."

"Well… as long as it's not an insult to your own status as a queen…" Daring seemed to relax slightly but still eyed the necklaces warily.

"It is a higher honor still to be asked to become the official bride to a whole fairytale." Briar gave the heart necklace to the witch who took it gently, studying the intricate designs carved into the metal of the pendant. "Or so says the engagement note addressed to the both of you that Lizzie had attached to the necklaces."

It was Daring this time who took the offered object, eyes widening further when another necklace was tossed to him.

"What?" The boy squeaked looking down at his very own identical necklace.

Raven plucked the note from Daring's slack fingertips and began to read.

"The characters to the sacred tale of Alice in Wonderland formerly request that should the tale of Snow White and that thing with Apple not work out that the Honorable Lady Queen Raven of the Rebels and Prince Daring Charming of that adorable charming kingdom to please consider being apart of the tale of Alice in wonderland. Since the heir to the Hearts throne was just going to use a scarecrow in place of a king of hearts anyway, we are suggesting that perhaps either Daring or Raven or the both of you (it never said that there had to be just one) to briefly take on the king of hearts role if the Rebel thing doesn't work out (which is just Lizzie and Kitty being pessimistic, don't worry Raven the Rebels are gaining numbers like really quickly despite the Headmaster's efforts) and to become the Royal wives to the main five characters of the Wonderlandian tale (well since this is a bit of a new position we suppose that for Daring's comfort he can be dubbed High Lord Charming or something like that, and Raven can be The Honorable Lady) and anyways we aren't going to push you guys into sharing your lands or anything like that, you can if you want but you'll have to sign a bunch of papers because consent for everything is really huge in Wonderland, but this is just a friendly offer that you two can take either until you guys get your feet back or you can stay our harem forever if that's what you decide. We really like you guys so please keep all of this in mind! (By the way it's really hard writing so formally in this language, even harder than in riddleish like the rock that breaks a camels toe only the object is in my brain and-)."

Raven stops reading in order to cough and give her voice a rest.

"I take it that they had Maddie write that." Cerise commented lightly from her spot on her bed. She cocked her head to the side. "How did she get so many words to fit on that tiny scrap of paper… unless you have super magnifying eyes that can read little print…?"

"Wonderland optical bending." Raven croaked. "Don't know how it works, I stopped asking after the first explanation."

"High Lord Charming and The Honorable Lady Raven of Wonderland…" Ashlynn whistled lowly rolling over on Cedar's bed so that she was staring up at the canopy. "I kind of like it. Sounds both dignified and pretty."

Raven gave a shell-shocked Daring a one armed hug. Carefully minding the boy's injuries. "Hey." She soothed. "Neither you or I have to decide on anything just yet ok? And I'll make sure that you don't have to go through anything alone when we are ready to tackle the future."

Daring softened considerably and returned Raven's one armed hug with a full one.

"Thank you." He whispered raw.

"What are these folders for?" Cedar jumped off of her bed to sit on the floor beside Briar.

"Incentives." Briar eyed the folders with slight distaste. "Unofficial financial and political bribery in the hopes to entice Raven into a speedy marriage instead of going through the lengthy courting that is customary with a union to a witch of Raven's caliber."

"Caliber?" Raven blinks blushing at the high praise. "But I have no monetary value. There's a rule written into the estate saying that the net worth of _anything _belonging to the estate cannot be sold off or married away! Once an Evil Queen reverts back to her birth name all assets go to the new Evil Queen and her daughter, the old Evil Queen has to either live off of her relative's kindness or go out and forge a new life!"

Briar held up a black folder with the Queen family's sigil embossed on the front in silver. "Remember when Broom Mistress Serpent gave us that assessment of your bridal net worth? Well apparently no destiny means that old rule to the Queen clan's inheritance has been dissolved. I took a peek, curiosity and all that, and… well you've got to see this to believe it."

Raven took the folder and hurriedly opened it.

She saw it but she still didn't believe it.

"That… is a lot of zeros." Daring observed in a higher pitched voice from behind Raven's shoulder, which was fortunate because right then Raven needed to be steadied or she probably would have bumped her head pretty severely on the floor when she slumped backwards.

Daring being from a small kingdom knew about bridal and groom net worth, he had been reminded continuously as a pre-teen by his tutors to appreciate the fact that he was to marry Apple White, the girl with the highest bridal net worth amongst the human kingdoms. He and his father had always made faces behind those tutor's backs because they were already a well off family and being told to only see dollar signs around his betrothed was not very Charming at all.

Until that moment Apple's net worth was the largest that Daring had ever seen, but Raven's net worth…

It _really_ was a lot of zeros.

Raven stopped breathing as she read the specifics of her net worth. "Papa's given me an inheritance too?" she whispered disbelieving, flipping through the leafs of paper with shaking hands. Daring had to help her hold the paper still she was shaking so badly. "_Publicall_y? As in he had to _sign his name on public record?"_

"Why's that so hard to believe?" Cedar asked her as Daring had to move behind Raven and hold both of her arms still. "I thought that you and your dad were on good terms?"

"Mother caused a lot of shame for the Queen clan. For my and my father's family's protection the identity of my father was kept a secret. Any inheritance after the fairytale would have to be under the table. I could only be declared as his daughter after a new Evil Queen took my place. After I changed my name and hid my identity." Raven spoke in quick sentences her hands finally,_ finally_ steadying enough for her eyes to register the familiar scribbled signatures of not one but five people.

Tears sprang to Raven's eyes. "Papa… Grandmother?... Lady Sasha… _everyone_? They all- they all signed their _names_? All for… _this can't _be all for me…" She whispered disbelieving. Never in a million years would she had thought to see the day where her father's family felt safe enough to declare _her_, Raven Queen, daughter of the Evil Queen, as theirs. She had always assumed that she'd have to hide out for a long while after graduation and then change her name, dye her hair, wear a lot of bright colors…

Daring wasn't initially paying much attention to the sheaf of paper that Raven was mumbling over, he was too busy trying to soothe his nearly hysterical friend, gently stroking her hair and rocking her in his arms like he used to do with his baby sister when she was a child.

"You aren't going to follow your mother's footsteps. It's well and official now so it makes sense that if your father really loves you he would publically declare you his heir now." Briar stated the fact softly, she hadn't had the chance to look at the particular page that Raven was looking at but she knew from Apple that Raven's father had to be a noble of some kind. Which would explain all of the secrecy behind Raven's paternal heritage.

"Can I see?" Daring asked in a fatherly way one might speak to a small child.

Raven handed the folder to him, using her freed hands to wipe away the tear tracks.

A beat then; "_Your father's the_ _Good King_?"

There were a series of stunned _what's_ as the folder was quickly passed around the room.

"Now you see the need for the secrecy." Raven's voice was high and airy.

"Um…" Cedar looked at the paper, fidgeting unsurely. "Raven why do you have so many grandmothers?"

"My paternal grandmother keeps three lovers, two women one man." Raven admitted freely, it was of little concern to her as she kept clinging to Daring's arms and tried to ride out the shock of being proclaimed to the world that she was a daughter to a Good King.

"Oh." The wooden girl blinked innocently apparently appeased by Raven's explanation and not at all shocked by it. "So why's everyone so excited over Raven's father? Is this Good King a famous person?"

"_You don't know who the Good King is?"_ Cerise looked at her roommate with wide eyes.

"Well… no…"

Ashlynn sighed. "Good Kings appear in many of the original fairytales, usually a Prince Charming can be considered a Good King after their first child is born. But the Good King that we're talking about is well… _the_ Good King. The King family is the oldest known royal human family in existence, it is believed that they have been around since King Arthur's time and they have played roles in major historical events throughout history, they are also the second most powerful human royal family in the world, _and_ it is believed that a Good King aided the original Grimm Brothers in creating _the Book of Legends_. A little like us fairytale characters when a new King is crowned, whether they be male or female, most people who aren't family or friends are to refer to them as the Good King so-and-so. For years a lot of people wondered if the line would die out because there appeared to be no living heirs born into this generation…"

She looks at Raven then, eyes seeming to pierce into the witch's very soul. "Now that she has been acknowledged as the long lost heir we are looking at the future Good King, _The Good King Raven_."

Everyone stared at the witch.

"Hi." Raven waved at them meekly.

XXX

Kitty blinked owlishly when she reappeared outside her own dorm. She had spent the last few hours contemplating how she had managed to get herself into this mess.

What had initially started out as a little check-up on the little Raven after the cat girl (and many terrified onlookers) had witnessed the fair-one go nearly nuclear, that had turned into actually finding a reasonable explanation for the princess's magical outburst (Jealousy. Kitty was so happy that she and darling Maddie did not have nearly as much drama in their relationship), which had turned into Kitty finding out a _big secret_.

Well was it really so much a secret now? Would Maddie get angry with her for snooping? For this instance… maybe not but if she ever found out that Kitty had been a curious little kitten about Raven's past for the past three months…

But relationships depended on telling your partner the truth about certain big things (such as snooping on your beloved's best friend and sister) and only keeping secrets about… the littler insignificant things (things like how it only half irritated Kitty that Maddie would steal her favorite spot around that time of month but just the half because Kitty was just happy that Maddie was there to take up that spot at all and it warmed her animal instincts to know that her mate wanted to curl up in a place that smelled like Kitty when she wasn't feeling well. Kitty never voiced about the half irritated part and always resigned herself to curl around her mate and keep her sore parts warm until the pain killers kicked in and the cramping stopped being such a nuisance). It was essential for survival to keep your mate apprised of important information back in the times when all there was to look forward to was more war, and it was still essential even now, during these times of peace.

Kitty had tried to be good but she just could not stop her ingrained nature and bad timing.

Guess she was just going to have to get reacquainted with her lonely little perch for a few nights until Maddie saw fit to forgive her.

Kitty walked into their room nervously, her stomach dropping when she caught sight of Maddie sitting at the tea table with Earl Grey.

Cheshire's were not known for beating around the bush, to hem and haw about in a worried tizzy, or sugar coating things when it came to subjects that they wanted to discuss or confess to (even if that subject would get them into trouble. _Especially_ if the subject was sure to _cause_ trouble) and Kitty true to her heritage was no different.

"I've been snooping in on the little Raven's past for the last three months." Kitty stood before her beloved, arms behind her back, letting the blunt statement quickly pass her lips before weak fear could gunk up the delivery.

"I know." Maddie added a cube of sugar to her tea.

"You already knew this?" Kitty breathed in disbelief. "For how long?"

"Six months ago you idly wonder out loud why Raven always smelled like a medicine cabinet. I knew that your curiosity would not let the issue go so I had asked Raven if she would be willing to take the protections off of certain items so that you could deduce the gist of our childhood on your own." Maddie calmly took a sip of tea as she surveyed her lover with a worried eye. "Because I love you and you were nearly fully apart of our tribe by then Raven consented to leaving hints and clues in places where hopefully the fair one would not stumble upon them."

Maddie placed her cup on the table and stood up. "But I am rather turned around and upside down about why you confessed three months snooping and not five or six. Beloved… are you feeling well?" Maddie peeled off her glove and caressed Kitty's forehead and cheek.

"You…" Kitty cleared her throat. "You were fine with me snooping?"

"Of course I was." Maddie huffed looking at Kitty lovingly. "I love you Kitty Cheshire, that includes your nature for pranks and sneaky squeaky spying!"

She then sobered a little, fidgeting the toe of her shoe on the floor. "Raven wasn't feeling up to a show and tell so she didn't mind you rifling through her past to take the answers you seek, and I… have troubles discussing the topic in length, so I could not tell you everything either."

Maddie looked down uncharacteristic darkness clouding her eyes. "She had been taken right before my very eyes you know, and I had been too tiny to stop the monster. Those months she was missing I…"

Kitty held the other, nuzzling her mate's hair and breathing reassuring purrs, giving Maddie strength to finish. "…I feared her dead. While her father allowed us of Wonderland shelter in one of his castles I had been so far gone without hope that I had built a tiny memorial in the room I was assigned to… Raven's room. When they found her alive I dared not believe it until I saw her with my own eyes, and even then it took me a second and fourth glance to truly believe my eyes." Maddie was unusually quiet as she spoke the haunting images of Raven all bandaged up and jumping frightfully at everything like an abandoned baby bird forever burned into her brain.

"That's why you protect her so?" Kitty asked, her voice waving away the images going through the other's mind like vapors of dissipating smoke. "Well I suppose that the answer to that is obvious…" She mumbled.

"Raven has always been kind. Far too loving in nature to ever become the Evil Queen." Maddie sighed. "Even after her ordeal she didn't become hardened and bitter, instead she became frightened, _of everything fairytale_. Denying the Book was not as shocking to me as it was to others, in fact I had been expecting it for years! The fair one's dreams of getting her perfect villain never stood a chance from the very beginning!" Maddie giggled forcefully pulling herself out of her dark mood at the memory of the all the scandalized looks and the faces filled with cautious hope.

Maddie turned in the other's arms gifting Kitty with a smile that was nearly Cheshire cat-like. "Raven may have difficulty understanding Wonderland workings at times but, ever the curious scholar, she's learning and she accepts you now as apart of the tribe. My beloved, my love, I accept you too, all of you, even and especially the parts that love to constantly be sneaky, and pull wonderously amusing pranks, and roll around in my laundry!" Maddie laughed.

"Really?" Kitty whispered. Not even her own mother was able to find someone that would accept her completely, Cheshire's who were proud enough not to conform to another's expectations rarely did and so many, like her mother, simply left when they got bored, kittens in hand if they were birthed.

But this was Maddie Hatter, the maddest Wonderlandian she had ever met! If there was anyone else more qualified to love a Cheshire… Kitty would not believe it. She'd deny that other nameless person and resolutely keep Maddie for herself.

"Should there be any doubt?" Maddie asked slyly.

"Mine!" And Kitty was kissing her.

"You know that was very sweet." A male voice commented from above.

"Indeed, very romantic." Agreed a female voice.

The two kissing girls stilled.

Kitty ripped her head upwards. "Privacy!"

"Oops, I think they heard us." The female hissed.

"You think?" Kitty roared, making Maddie giggle. "I don't care this time! If you two aren't gone in two seconds I'm going to have my way regardless of onlookers or not!"

"Eeek!"

"Leaving!"

Amongst the ensuing growls and giggles Earl Grey grabbed his mistress's hat, which had been flung across the room, and jumped in.

He didn't mind spending the night in the little nest that Raven had made for him in her closet, and Raven's chief familiar Nevermore was nice and warm to sleep next to whether she was in her bird form or tiny dragon form.

XXX

Apple lay dejectedly in Raven's bed, note from Briar crumpled in her clenched hand.

Raven hadn't come back to their dorm that night.

Her so-called best friend and _who knows how many others_ had seen to that.

When the message had arrived via one of Ashlynn's humming birds Apple knew that something was up. Briar's penmanship had been lovely as per usual for a princess but the underlying irritation bled through her words and now swirled in Apple's mind like a bad dream.

Briar had very pointedly described how Apple publically handled the situation yesterday was considered extremely rude, could be mistaken for her abusing Raven, and Apple was very lucky that Raven knew her as well as she did because she could have just as easily gotten spooked and asked the guest witches to help her get their bond forcefully removed.

Briar had sounded very dry in her writing when she explained that Raven wanted to keep their bond even if it was under platonic pretenses.

Even without the other princess present the written words somehow managed to make Apple feel ten centimeters tall with no problem. She knew how to hit all the right buttons and Apple sure felt sufficiently ashamed.

Apple also knew with a growing sense of dread that until Briar managed to track her down and yell at her in person things were not over between the two.

Ultimately Briar was glad that she had finally gotten over herself long enough to realize what Raven had actually been saying and stopped humiliating Raven with her I-know-everything attitude (Apple guessed that Raven _did_ have to inform a few concerned parties about last night, the princess couldn't help but wince at the knowledge that she had probably been the cause of a lot of trouble for the witch the past two days) but for Raven's sake Briar had convinced the witch to stay somewhere else for a while.

Apple knew what this situation meant; Briar had told Raven that even though Apple seemed fine with everything, the witch should still give her some space, and Raven, who loved Apple so much, would not question it as long as she thought that was what was best for Apple.

But Apple _didn't want to be separated_ from Raven she _wanted to kiss Raven_.

…Ok so maybe Briar did have a valid reason to steer Raven away but that still did not mean that Apple approved of this trickery!

No one was in Briar and Ashlynn's dorm meaning that the two had hidden the witch somewhere else for the night so Apple couldn't defy Briar's intentions and collect Raven, and Maddie was _very busy_ judging by the noises coming through her dorm room door (Apple had learned her lesson from last time and so she placed an ear to the door first before attempting to knock or barge in).

So now Apple could do nothing but lay on Raven's bed and sulk.

Well sulk _and_ glare hatefully at some betrothal requests for Raven's hand she had found on the balcony. They had arrived sometime while Apple was attempting to find Raven or talk to Maddie, which had resulted in Apple's mood turning even stormier.

She and Raven really needed to up the security for their room. Tomorrow when she could Apple was going to find Raven and that _will _be the main topic of discussion.

Because as much as she hated it Briar did have a method to her madness, Apple had nothing but empty promises of finding a loophole and until she did the princess had no rights to demand that Raven be claimed as _hers_. So for now all that she could talk about with Raven would be purely platonic, mundane things that did not involve love and Apple must repress the urge to publically claim Raven as Apple's future wife and so all of those competitors for the witch's affections could just take their fancy scrolls and tokens and _stuff it_!

And yes she was aware that there was a very big chance that she wouldn't find anything. That she would have to leave Raven for her fairytale and resign herself to stay at Raven's side as only her friend, but that still did not mean that she wouldn't fight for this, Ashlynn had been willing to risk everything for love, and she had said that she had found a loophole for her tale!

Besides there was a chance that Raven's life was still in danger. If headmaster Grimm was right about fairytale characters disappearing if they do not play their roles…

She would find a way. No matter what she ended up being to Raven at the end of all of this she would fight for Raven to remain at her side.

This whole situation sucked. Why couldn't things be simpler? Maddie and Kitty didn't have the weight of impending disappearances and future happiness hanging in the balance!

Things still would have sucked less if Raven were there to cuddle with, the princess thought bitterly.

Apple did not find sleep for a very long while.

XXX

Daring woke up to the misty early morning light feeling unusually warm, with his sister's hair in his face, and a slumbering witch curled delicately around his arm and using his shoulder as a pillow. He supposed that he and Raven had dozed off and when Darling came looking for him she decided to stick around rather than try to wake him and smuggle him back to her dorm.

They were still in Cedar and Cerise's room, the three of them curled up on a plush rug on the floor like three small children who were tuckered out from playing so much.

Oddly enough he found himself rather comfortable despite the two bodies resting on either side of his own (although his sister was mostly draped _on_ him than _to the side_ of him). Somebody had put three large pillows on the ground but the one behind his head was the only cushion that was occupied, the two girls at his sides seemed to have found himself far better pillow material than the actual objects in question.

A knight, a prince, and a queen who would in time become a king.

The three of them together sounded like the makings of a royal court, a scene taken right out of a historical account of the kingdom leaders being so devoted to solving a problem or resting after a grueling battle that they fell into slumber together, granted Raven would have made it a _witch's_ royal historical account, but despite the two humans it still counted.

Raven the Good King. Good King Raven. My, that had more of a ring to it than _queen Raven _did; Daring's mind reeled at the thought.

Good King Raven, daughter to the second most powerful human kingdom of ever after, perhaps soon to be the first since the witch was the only heir to both the Queen and King realms and thus the two were sure to be merged into one in time.

…Maybe Raven didn't need a fairytale after all.

It was a rebellious thought, but since he was thinking under the lines of a royal prince he supposed that he could be forgiven the transgression of not thinking like a student of the Royal faction.

He knew that Raven would not disappear if she did not forge a new story with Apple; he had every confidence that True Love would save the day… but there was more to it… Raven was a leader, already a future ruler in the making, a would-be king who was fearlessly leading her Rebel comrades to a different future. It almost seemed as though Raven was following some unwritten destiny… the destiny to somehow… free fairytale characters from their fixed roles? Perhaps?

Darling had said that Raven made it clear that everyone had a right to a choice, she did not believe that everyone had to be Rebel, or steer clear from fairytales completely. Some Rebels like Darling just wanted a different role.

So what did that make Raven? If she was the start of a new fairytale then that meant her story had already started didn't it? But… everything was just too complicated! All the fairytales had a moral, a predictable theme, and a series of clear-cut events that made up the tale. Raven's life was none of these things.

If Daring were to compare Raven's life story with another legend it would not be a fairytale… more like a series of chronicles, the chronicles of Raven Queen.

Considering that the entire school seemed to be involved maybe it would be more relevant to call it the chronicles of Ever After High…

He felt Raven stir so he feigned sleep, breaking from his musings.

He heard her yawn, gingerly extracting herself and tucking the siblings more securely in with the hand-knitted blanket that had been tossed over them before tip-toeing to the bathroom.

Soon came more sounds of waking life as the occupants of the two beds shifted and quietly grumbled at the brightening light coming through the window and balcony.

He found himself thinking the situation funny, as he drifted between waking and light sleep (he did not have to go to class that day), most boys would find waking up in a girl's dorm with five unrelated girls occupying the same room a fantasy come true (he was sure that for _most_ his _sister_ would not count)… but as it was he didn't see it in that light. No, he felt more like a platonic comrade, just another friend to blearily step over as coffee was brewed and altered morning routines commenced.

Mostly he was more concerned with mentally cheering that he did not have to go anywhere for a while. Was he failure as a hormonal teenaged boy? Yes. But he didn't much care because he was sure that he passed the test for platonic friendship and that was a far less lonely place to be then if he began acting like some creeper.

"Is he still sleeping?"

"Yeah. I think that the last few days really tuckered the guy out."

"Should we wake him?"

"Nah let him rest. We can leave some breakfast and a pot of coffee for him here."

"I'll swing by during lunch to take him back to my dorm and re-bandage him. He really should sleep off that beating those leprechauns gave him."

"I'll write him a note letting him know what we're up to and where he can find the milk and anything else that he might want in his coffee."

Daring smiled feeling better about himself then he had been for a while.

It was great to have friends that were willing to carry you when life seemed determined to beat you to the ground.

XXX

The castleteria was abuzz with most of the residence of the boy's dorm's chilling accounts of the girl's dorm ghost finding a new haunt… and a new, horrifying hobby.

Hunter rolled his eyes at Humphrey's account of the unknown boy who had been brutally turned into a eunuch.

"Are you sure that it was this fabled ghost and not some other logical explanation?" He sighed tiredly having already heard more than enough versions of this topic before breakfast. He had been on a date with Ashlynn at the time of the mentioned incident, and it had been Sparrow Hood who had tried to call him repeatedly while he was on said date (the boys in the makeshift camp had organized a roll call and those who were not present had people who had either attempted to track them down everywhere but the boy's dorms or were called over and over again until they picked up), not wanting to talk to Sparrow he turned his phone off for the night, and thus he didn't know what had been going on until he was walking over to get breakfast, where he had been suddenly mobbed by a crowed of terrified boys who had been convinced that he was one of the dorm ghost's victims.

"I mean if there really was a boy who was sliced off at the jewels wouldn't the professors have the dorms quarantined and a fancy announcement by the Headmaster on the topic? I mean_ I_ spent the night in _my _dorm and nothing happened to me." Hunter pointed out his patience wearing thin.

"Maybe it knows that your girlfriend raises fu-tsang dragons for fun." Edward grouched darkly into his curds and whey (it tasted delicious okay? And Tiffany refused to eat the stuff saying that it made her want to barf and he was not one to waste food so he ate the stuff that the lunch ladies gave her while she ate his usual assigned breakfast which ended up working out for everyone because he wasn't all that keen on protein smoothies, fried scorpions and yes, fried tarantulas! But Tiffany oddly enough was so… even-stevens).

The spider-boy had not been as lucky as Hunter in escaping for a quiet night in his dorm. No, his friends had to track him down and drag him off to go camping in the freaking woods.

Edward hated camping.

"Pico Paco has great respect for Miss Ella." Tiffany chimed in taking a bite off of a giant fried scorpion's claw.

"Would you stop calling it that cutesy name?" Humphrey begged. "You're making it sound even more creepy by calling it that."

"But Pico Paco was very cute when I first spied him." Tiffany smiled sweetly; only the seated Rebels and Edward could tell that she was really being intentionally wicked behind her sweet, innocent mask.

Humphrey shuddered, thinking quietly to himself that maybe there was a reason why the girls hadn't been nearly as terrorized by the ghost as the boys were… mostly because of the fact that a lot of the girls at the school (like Tiffany) were _completely insane_.

"You saw it?" Ashlynn asked looking intrigued. "What did it look like? What did you do?"

"Oh he was trying to reach my stash of coffee beans, but he was too short to reach so I poured some into a little bowl for him." The blonde blinked innocently.

"That explains who the coffee caper was." Cupid realized. "Remember a few months ago when Blondie did a special about the mysterious critter who kept breaking into coffee bags and stealing the contents?"

"Remember? How could I forget! Our dorm was the bugger's favorite place to burglarize!" Holly O'Hair huffed remembering sourly how she and her sister had to live off of the casleteria's instant decaf before class every morning for almost a month.

Raven hid her face behind a napkin; she had a sinking feeling that she at least knew the identity of the coffee caper. Although it seemed like a far stretch for a coffee golem to go from plant beans to… well… human beans…

She had decided to break away from her usual routine of sitting with the same people (once again) for breakfast when she noticed that a decent majority of said group was either not present (Maddie, Kitty, Daring), took off early with her lunch to go so that she could harvest some Morning Blooms for her personal herbal experiment (Cedar), making googley eyes at each other (Cerise and Briar), or off limits and sitting pointedly at a separate table and hidden from her BFFA's line of sight (Apple. Who seemed to be glaring at Briar's back for some odd reason… Raven waved when Briar looked up from Cerise long enough to spot her. _That_ had made Apple's scowl deepen).

"What about you Hopper?" Hunter turned to the tiny green frog sitting on the table between Tiffany and Edward. "You spent the night in the dorms did you feel at all threatened?"

"No… but I'm… sorry that everyone else is…" Hopper fidgeted nervously with his little green front feet.

Tiffany patted Hopper's head and gave him one of her fried tarantulas on a stick, to which he gratefully munched on as much as a frog could.

Hopper, completely flustered at the misunderstanding was trapped in his frog form. He, like Hunter, had been fortunate enough to successfully avoid being dragged into the woods, and like Hunter he had been presumed to be yet another victim of the dreaded ghost.

He said nothing on the matter all morning, being unusually quick and to the point when he did speak. He felt guilty that he could not assuage the fears of his fellow dorm residence but he was willing to keep silent in order to protect his friends… even though Blondie was still hopping mad and Dexter was not handling his personal life (or lack thereof) very well.

Raven hummed in thought.

"What are you thinking Raven?" Humphrey asked sounding hopeful that the lone magic user of the table could perhaps provide some sort of solution or words of wisdom, after all witches were known to sometimes have dealings with the other side.

"There are no victim's turning up so without that hard evidence I'm not too sure that this horrible ghost is a ghost… or anything supernatural but… You know the professors have been working on making a sword polishing potion that could theoretically cut through curses and negative energies, I'm just wondering if the same could happen to a malevolent spirit…" The witch hummed some more taking out a worn notebook and jotting down some ideas.

"You think that this special potion could work?" Humphrey stood up looking excited.

"Whoa now!" She got up to stop him before he began shouting that she had a solution before she actually had a solution. "It still needs to be tested out on a multitude of different curses first before we get to the scary spirits phase. But there are some charms and spells that could be implemented much sooner if you feel so strongly about it-"

She found herself enveloped in a hug. "Gee thanks a bunch Raven! Say do you have some free time today to look that over?"

"Yes! Please be free today!" Edward begs dodging Holly's plastic fork and ignoring her complaints about him being rude. He did not want to spend one more night trying to sleep next to a whole bunch of snoring guys out in the middle of the woods with no indoor plumbing!

Raven thinks for a moment, she did have some free time for an hour or two after normal classes finished (hopefully, it was difficult knowing when the healers would let her go some days) the visiting witches had actually resulted in her schedule opening up considerably. The Headmaster seemed to be hard pressed to keep the school's guests entertained so that apparently meant that Raven had been excused from many of her classes to take on the Headmaster's job of giving tours of the school grounds, classes, and other activities.

Because Raven had been stuck with the job that the Headmaster was usually supposed to be doing the witch was starting to wonder if the man was somehow afraid of the students from the witch academy.

And Briar had said that Apple needed some space so stopping over to their dorm for a visit was out of the question…

Yes, Raven was free; she had nothing to do in that time frame so why not.

The witch told the boy this making him (and Edward) cheer.

This Raven guessed might be an efficient first step to getting over Apple; taking one day at a time, hanging out with friends, and keeping busy.

XXX

_Tap._

More power.

_Tap._

She _needed_ more power!

_Plink!_

This was taking frustratingly longer than anticipated.

She needed a little extra… _something_ to help things move along.

She needed a bit of outside power to add more oomph to her attempts at breaking the seals.

Something of power that was not her own and would also not be too obvious… a natural power…

A power derived from a life force.

The bone wand was out of the question. That power had been refined and tuned with care, all for the little spawn. It was the second most impressive thing that she had ever created, a thing made of their kin's bones and the sheer raw power from one of the once greatest Evil Queens in family history.

_Was_… not any longer. The old crow had it coming for being such a goody-two-shoes.

It would be a shame for the spawn to not receive the gift she had so lovingly created, it had been so very dangerous getting the raw materials for it too.

Evil Queens, especially former ones were not so easily swayed into giving up their earthly remains and life force.

And it wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility that this particular former Evil Queen to somehow find a way to mess things up from beyond the grave if her captured power was tampered with any more that it already was. Knowing the old bat she probably would have placed some form of underlying promise within herself in the hopes that her descendant would give into impatience and make that mistake.

But she would not become so impatient as to attempt that. She had after all learned the value of waiting. Forcefully.

The way that the old lady had left things in their last and (hopefully) final encounter made her worry… she had been a strong old one, didn't even beg for mercy or even stop standing until her life force had been extracted and her spirit left her body.

The words the old one had spoken haunted her, with a defiant smirk to match her words and her body bloodied with injuries… the old one still managed to smile! Armless, beaten, and dying, and yet she smiled as if the old one knew that she was going to fail! Even her dead body looked like it was mocking her!

But she had created the spawn! The spawn's very blood was intimately linked between the curse, the ancient power, and herself, the creator of the finest living weapon in history!

The mother of the most perfect being ever bred out of fairytale and legendary blood to rule the new world as her creator's champion.

The spawn was perfection. The only one that was allowed to touch the spawn in any loving manor would be her creator, for the spawn's creator had made the girl into what she was, and as her creator's greatest achievement that made the girl perfectly crafted for her creator to enjoy.

Just as soon as she could rip out the spawn's precious heart away from that abominable wench she will keep the spawn's heart where it belonged, with her creator.

But now every second counted. The spawn's power had been tainted. Despite her best efforts to prevent this, the power of True Love had been awakened and now she risked losing the spawn forever!

That wench's fault no doubt. Sweet little seed of that bitch Snow. Oh how she itched for them to feel her wrath.

But no. She would exorcise control. It was not her place to bring down her ire upon the family that had been her ancestral enemy.

That right belonged to the spawn.

_Tap._

_Tap._

_Ping!_

XXX

Apple bolted upright on her bed, book clutched in a death grip between her hands.

"What in the kingdom?" Apple exclaimed into the book titled: _The Observations and Theories of Witch's Hearts and Other Magical Bonds of Love_. Earl Grey peeked out of Raven's closet to see what the fuss was about, Nevermore just rolled her head (eye rolls were very difficult to do in bird form) and settled back down, choosing to ignore her mistress's crazy roommate.

She was only a few pages into the text it hadn't taken long before she had discovered something that had caused her violent out burst.

She leaned closer reread the text, then again, and again.

She eventually sat back, eyes wide and mouth agape.

This changed everything.


	13. The one with the long week

Author's note (skip if you want only a few more chapters left!):

The end is almost here! Thanks again for all of your fantastic reviews (and sympathies, I feel much less sickly now), they have helped to motivate me in my writing and I am still hoping to achieve my ultimate goal of finishing this by the end of the summer.

I'm thinking that this story is going to have a whole host of little one-shot sequel stories because even though this is all about Apple and Raven the other characters deserve a little something dedicated all to themselves.

I decided to make an entire week go by in this chapter, mostly to show how both Raven and Apple are fairing but to also wrap up some loose ends and get some fluff in before shit gets real with the Evil Queen.

On a side note regarding Daring and his love life, I have gotten a lot of requests for him to find love. Some are begging me to pair him up with Lizzie; others are begging me to **not** pair him up with Lizzie. I personally have no real attachments towards any particular pairing involving Daring so if you could please let me know what you really want to see in the comments, I will tally up the suggestions and whichever pairing repeats the most, _that_ will be the one I go with for this universe (whenever I get around to making a sequel dedicated just to Daring).

I really appreciate your guy's input, it helps me keep story details on track and I hope that this chapter is as entertaining as the others.

Hope you enjoy!

XXX

The one with the long week (according to Apple)

XXX

Tuesday was the beginning of the longest week of Apple's life.

Her alarm blared across the room meaning that Apple had to get up off of Raven's warm bed, rub her sore face because she had slept with her glasses on, and trudge over to the infernal device to chuck it out the window and scare some hapless passerby in the process (Duchess's startled squawking was only slightly satisfying). What was worse was that now that she was up she could not simply flop back onto Raven's bed and go back asleep. The princess tried it and did not succeed.

Her morning routine of making herself presentable was done on autopilot; Apple kept going through the motions until she stepped out of the bathroom and was struck frozen.

Raven usually had some concoction of coffee or a very strong tea going and would have organized both of their books and assignments for the day in neatly arranged stacks to be put into book bags while she awaited Apple to finish before making fast work of her own turn in the bathroom.

Apple gave up trying to make tea or coffee, because (Apple told herself) she did not have the time!

…And only Raven knew how to prepare an apple cider latte from magic and scratch, and nothing could match the witch's expertise with preparing the perfect pot of morning tea so quickly and with the accuracy derived from the strict teachings of a Wonderlandian master.

The princess grumbled moodily as she rummaged through her things and tried to map out which items needed to stay and which needed to come with her.

"How is the fairest of them all today?" Her magic mirror chirped.

Apple scowled, without Raven there to make funny faces at the object the mirror just sounded annoying, and besides that the whole fairest of them all complement sounded better when it came from Raven who usually accompanied the age old phrase with an original compliment that made Apple _really believe_ that she was the fairest.

The mirror made her feel cheap.

"Owner's code 6617772255! Settings. Sound. Talking function off!" Apple barked the magic mirror flickering different colors before returning back to it's normal, now blessedly silent, state.

At least Apple would see Raven at breakfast. She didn't know what she was going to do if she got the chance to get within two feet of the witch, what with her newly acquired discovery buzzing around in her head, a big part of her wanted to run over to Raven and kiss her soundly on the lips and put an end to all of this being apart nonsense, however the smaller, annoyingly more reasonable part of her wanted to hold back on the declarations of love for a while until all the facts were in this time.

She hated having to wait but…

She loved Raven back so that was all that mattered in the end right? So she would take care this time, do things right, wait until she had all of the facts.

At breakfast Apple found her spirits brought down once again, because although Raven was sitting at a separate table from Briar, Briar was seated in just the right spot where she was in perfect view of the witch, meaning Apple could not approach lest she be spotted and forced to suffer the other princess's wrath.

At least the sight of the visiting witches had distracted Apple for a little while.

"What's this?" She asked the air, openly staring at the crowd of Raven clones waiting by the front entrance, and standing numbly beside her open locker (she had been waiting for Raven to gather her books for princess training but so far the witch was a no show).

"A lot of them are apparently Raven's distant relatives, because Raven's destiny is no longer an issue a lot of former Evil Queens have sent their witchlings here as a sort of surprise welcome to the family reunion." Ashlynn spoke making Apple startle badly.

"They… what?" Apple whimpered hoarsely.

Ashlynn smiled at her knowingly. "I asked. They had no problems with sharing." She explained as if Apple was in any condition to grasp the point. "Raven's going against the Evil Queen. By successfully denying her destiny and working towards a potential solution to the curses she poisoned the world with Raven has single handedly redeemed much of the Queen family's honor."

"Uh huh." Apple blinked tiredly, inside she had swelled slightly in pride for Raven but... "Do you know where Raven is? If she doesn't pick up her books soon she's going to be late for princess training."

At that Ashlynn gave her a pitying look. "Sorry honey but the Headmaster has pardoned Raven from all of her non-essential classes this week so that she can give tours of the different course tracks."

"But that's the Headmaster's job!" Apple snapped growing angry.

Unfazed Ashlynn shrugged. "I heard from Hunter that the Headmaster was so unprepared that Raven's relatives had stopped by for a visit that he just froze up at the welcoming speech for like seven minutes, Raven thinks that seeing so many witches that looked just like her was like his worst nightmare realized."

Apple internally agreed that it was a valid theory…

She didn't see Raven again until that afternoon, but once again she was prevented from approaching.

Raven was outside on the student multipurpose lawn (mostly used for fairs, large craft building projects, magic classes, etc.…) with her fellow witches (even that Charlotte girl) surrounded by what appeared to be a good portion of the male population of the school. They had moved some large cauldrons and special apothecary tables out to the location for what looked like an impromptu magic's lesson.

It was… odd seeing so many normally rowdy boys be so quiet and focused. Collectively they watched the witches work with serious faces, some volunteers helped out as assistants, carrying themselves with an air of solemn importance.

One of the witch instructors who looked like an older version of Raven with blonde streaks running through her hair stood beside Baba Yaga, the two of them seemed to both oversee everyone and instruct them.

The princess stared at the older woman for a moment, at the potential way Raven might look like in the future. She thought about Elenore and how Raven looked eerily similar to her grandmother, if Raven's genetics aged in an identical path to her relative's then Raven would just get even more lovely as time wore on.

Apple highly approved of the thought as well as the idea that their witchlings would probably all look like some variation of their witchy mother.

The princess's heart warmed. That would be so cute…

Alas Apple didn't have the heart to interrupt Raven's time with her relatives so with a renewed heavy heart she left.

Once again Raven did not return to the dorm for the night.

XXX

"That was a good thing you did for those boy's yesterday." Charlotte praised as she walked Raven from the girl's dorm to the village where the visiting witches were assigned to eat breakfast at one of the best coffee shops in town. She met the witch right outside Cerise and Cedar's room and when she asked if Raven could join the other witches the room's inhabitants answered for Raven with a resounding yes.

Raven blushed. "You guys had something to do with it too." She pointed out. "Thank you once again by the way, it was because of all of your guy's help that most of those boys felt safe enough to try and sleep in their dorm rooms once again."

"Do you really think that there is a ghost seeking to de-masculine the residence of the boy's dorms?" Charlotte asked curious.

"Nope." Raven shook her head. "Personally from what I have gathered of the accounts I've heard, I figure that it might have just been a nasty breakup between some boy and his girlfriend. But…" She added. "I do believe in the_ fear_ all of those boys were left in so if I can help them feel better by making a bunch of charms, that hopefully they will never have to use, then I'm happy to do it."

Charlotte huffed a laugh, face turning upwards to great the morning sun shining down on the front walk to the dorms. "It's really difficult to believe that so many people had once expected you to be the evilest of them all. With a kind attitude like that you would have made a pretty non-scary Evil Queen."

Raven smiles ruefully. "A lot of people said the same thing after they took a moment to get to know me. You should have seen their reactions in biology class and we were supposed to dissect these giant desert worms, I outright fainted at the sight of it's internal organs. According to my friends Maddie and Cerise the Royals kept repeating; "Evil Queen's aren't supposed to faint at the sight of gore" and that was all that anybody could say for the rest of the class period."

The other witch nodded. "Yep, that does sound like some pretty un-evil behavior to me. Bet you were glad to be unconscious." Charlotte joked.

"Immensely." Raven said with enough severity to make the other throw her head back and laugh.

"It is true, I'll admit, that you indeed would have made a terrible Evil Queen." A voice spoke up above them.

"Faybelle?" Raven looked up in shock.

"Good morning cousin… Raven Queen…" As Faybelle landed she kept her eyes trained on the dark haired witch, her face very blank. "I have heard from my cousin yesterday that you have vouched for me to take your place in the tale of Snow White. And early this morning I had been called to the Headmaster's office to be informed of my new extra roll."

"Well that's good…" Raven fidgets nervously, almost shyly looking at the fairy. "I'm glad that they went through with my suggestion."

"You asked for me." Faybelle tilted her head to the side in a way that most non-fae-like creatures attributed to a look that a fairy gave to something it was contemplating eating. "Why?"

"I could think of no one else more suited for the job." Raven replied honestly trying not to flinch away as the fairy moved closer.

"I am only going to say this once so you had better listen up." Faybelle instructed Raven seriously.

"W-what is it?" Raven asked willing with all her might not to back away.

Faybelle took Raven by the shoulders and leaned in close enough that their noses where barley brushing. "Thank you." She whispered before winding her arms around the witch's waist, dipping her back, and planting a full mouth kiss to Raven's lips.

In the background two shouts that Raven was too stunned to fully recognize ripped from two witnesses throats.

"Aw man! Faybelle too?" Dexter whined looking fit for tears.

His outburst was soon drowned out by a much louder, much more rage-filled voice.

"_FAYBELLE THORN_!" Apple roared from one of the girl's dorm's upper floor sunning balconies. "_Let go of my Raven at once_!"

Faybelle paid no heed, now peppering Raven's face with smaller kisses and whispering little "bless you's" mostly to be an annoyance to the screeching princess. Raven was still too stunned to really know where to put her hands at this moment.

Faybelle pulled back slightly when Apple decided that enough was enough and jumped off the balcony, aiming to the spot where she had spied Dexter.

"Remember~" Faybelle sang with a feral fairy smile, all sugar and sharp little teeth. "I'm only gonna say that to you once. Once in public and as perfect rivals I mean, do expect to receive my family's marriage proposal in a few days. I'd suggest that you consider the benefits of being bound to a fae lover." She glances to a fuming princess who is glowering at Faybelle and wiping dust off of her dress (Dexter was never good at catching falling maidens. Mostly he found himself acting more like a human safety net, after the third attempt that had gotten him sent to the nurse's office the professors no longer made him attempt it. It looked like he was going to miss classes again today as he was going to spend his time in the nurses office for the fourth time he got injured by a falling maiden landing on him).

Faybelle looks back at a frozen blushing Raven with a leer. "Fairy folk have been known to be excellent lovers, should you find yourself wanting to be satisfied in ways that a certain mere little bit of a lower level species can't provide…" Her eyes turned pointedly towards the princess marching determinately towards her. "Consider the benefits of joining your family with ours Miss future King…" And with that the fairy took off running, a swearing, glowing Apple White hot on her heels.

"Oh gods. Really Faybelle?" Charlotte broke out of her own shock to swear and rub her temples at her cousin's antics. Oh ancestors almighty did she feel mortified. "I'm so sorry Raven! My cousin is neurotically weird and she has no sense of decency at times and let me be the one to assure you that not all fairies or children of the Thorn clan are like that-"

"It's fine." Raven squeaked, her brain scrambling to continue normal function.

Charlotte paused. "No… no it's _not_. I'm pretty sure that it's_ sexual assault_." She stated with conviction.

"Yes but…" Raven bit her lip, trying to gather her scattered thoughts. "I can't believe that I'm saying this but… I have never seen Faybelle so happy or relaxed before."

"Well you did just give her the best gift of her life…" Charlotte relented still very not happy with her cousin.

"She did say that it was just the once… and I'd be a hypocrite if I said that I would not have acted the same way if the situation was a little bit different…" Raven shrugged feeling… well a little violated but at the same time she understood why the fairy had reacted that way. Hex if Faybelle had come to her saying that she had taken the initiative to take Raven's destiny away and become the next Evil Queen in Raven's place the witch would have definitely kissed the fairy in that scenario (not nearly as passionate as Faybelle had done to her but still…).

"Besides, if aggravated enough Apple can hold grudges like you would not believe. Faybelle's going to be on Apple's bad list for weeks if she aggravates her any further."

Charlotte knew her cousin; Faybelle was going to wind up on that bad list with a ten-year contract if she tried her best. Which she would. Because that was just the way Faybelle got along with people that had amusing reactions to her stunts.

In the distance Dexter made a half groaning cry.

"Right. Lets go help him out." Charlotte shook herself on to more pressing matters.

Raven looked around in confusion for the pained noises before her gaze settled on the injured boy. "Oh dear. How did that happen?"

XXX

The sun began setting on another day; a happy couple sat cuddled up to one another on a bench and just enjoyed watching the brilliant colors painting the sky.

"I heard that you've gotten a new roommate." Ashlynn spoke into the light breeze, snuggling closer to her boyfriend.

"Daring's been surprisingly an easygoing roommate." Hunter admitted, the prince had approached him in a private corner after classes and asked if he could stay at the Huntsman's dorm, explaining his story of what had transpired in the past few days and why exactly he had been left him without a room to go back to.

Hunter's roommate was still camping out in the woods, he had plenty of room for the tired prince, and Daring was sort of his friend so Hunter easily agreed to let the other boy stay a while.

"Then again he seems to have a lot of heavy stuff on his mind, he doesn't even admire himself in the mirror as often or with as much vigor as I'm used to seeing him do." It was a little worrying, especially since Hunter had grabbed all of the mirrors that he could find and put them all in one corner of the room where all Daring had done was stand timidly in front of them and just smiled. No charming grins that should have lit up the room in a blinding glow, just… he just smiled, like he was a scared little kid driving comfort from a familiar object.

"I heard about the fight he had with his brother, and that he's worried that Blondie is going to sneak back into Dexter's room to kill him." Ashlynn confessed, she had come across Tiffany and Edward carting the blonde away as the princess was making her way out to meet Hunter for their date. They told her to ask Briar or Darling about it so first chance she got that was exactly what she did.

"Remind me to never make that one really angry…" Hunter rubbed his chin with the hand that was not wrapped around his girl's shoulder, paused, then amended his statement. "Or Briar, or Apple, or you- say…"

"Yes Hunter, when pressed all princesses can be very scary." Ashlynn answered his unspoken question with no hesitation. "Although we may be maidens, most of us will be inheriting kingdoms and becoming queens, and for _that_ job you need to be a little scary."

"You're not… I don't know… do you ever feel like you've been cheated?" Hunter asked quietly, Ashlynn's paternal grandfather had gambled away his kingdom and estates before her parents could inherit it, and because of the rules governed by the Book Ashlynn's parents could not inherit her mother's home kingdom thus forcing them to improvise a way of steady income by opening up their shoe shop in Book Ends.

Initially the plan had been for Ashlynn to marry a rich prince and become queen to her husband's kingdom… but then she fell for Hunter. Hunter Huntsman who had no kingdom.

Ashlynn smiled, taking the boy's chin in her hand and forcing him to meet her eyes. "No matter how many times you ask my answer will always stay the same; I don't care about inheriting a kingdom, in fact turning Rebel and fighting that destiny is only half the benefit. I mean can you really see me being cooped up in some stuffy indoor throne room, wearing big poofy stuffy clothes, and listening to my court dither on and on, while still managing to be happy about it?"

"No." Hunter tried to envision it, and suddenly felt a lot less guilty. "Knowing you and your love for nature, you would call upon your litter of dragons to terrorize everybody until they gave up ever trying to lock you inside or force you to wear dresses that did not properly show off your shoes." He peered down. "Nice choice by the way those boots look fantastic especially with that special potion that Raven had cooked up."

The princess kissed the boy's cheek. "Thank you." Ashlynn beamed, lifting one leg up to admire the semi-transparent leather boot.

When they first met Hunter did not know the difference between a pump and a stiletto but he was willing to learn for her, just as she was willing to learn about axes and different varieties of trees from him. In the end they ended up slowly becoming independently interested in each other's interests.

"How is Raven by the way?" Hunter asks sounding a little worried. "I haven't had the chance to talk to her privately since Monday."

"Well I suppose that it's public knowledge by now so she won't have any issues with me telling you all of this… should I start with the issue regarding her and Apple or the large number of betrothal requests she's receiving?" Ashlynn sighed thinking about the growing pile of bribes and gifts accumulating in her dorm.

"Betrothal what?" Hunter blinked.

Ashlynn made a vague hand gesture. "Now that she is free of the Evil Queen destiny, Raven's maternal estates and queen title as it has turned out have made her highly desirable to suitors, and then after her father publically declared her as his daughter she seems to have become downright the most desirable noble witch in the world, or at least that's what if feels like. She's been receiving requests left and right, probably even from_ Faybelle_ if I had interpreted Apple's furious ranting correctly." It was difficult to tell, Apple's mouth was going a thousand miles per hour and her glowing fists were a little distracting.

Hunter's eyes widened. "How's Raven taking all of this?"

At this Ashlynn began chuckling. "She's completely mortified by the betrothal requests, but on the up side she's really happy that her father's family feel safe enough to declare her. You should have seen her when she first found out, she was so happy that she just didn't know what to do with herself."

Hunter smiled a broad grin. "Looks like Raven's getting closer to finding her own path in life. May I ask if it is okay for me to know who her father…?"

Ashlynn nodded. "It's the Good King."

Hunter's eyes bugged. "Good King? As in _the_ Good King?"

"That was my reaction too. Yes, Raven's father is _the_ Good King." The princess leaned her head on the boy's shoulder as he sat back and took it all in.

"Well I'll be." Hunter whispered eyes bugged out of their sockets. "Does Apple know?"

Ashlynn shook her head a bit more solemnly. "No. Raven's trying to keep her distance and Briar has made it clear that Apple needs to earn her right to drag Raven back to her side so no one is talking."

"And how is Apple taking this separation?" The boy asks, on one hand he approved of Briar's harsh crack down to protect Raven's heart from being broken, on the other hand Apple was grouchy and a grouchy glowing princess was a super scary princess.

Ashlynn tilted her head to the side, contemplative. "She reminds me of how I was that week before we got together actually."

Hunter looked at her curiously. "How you were?"

Ashlynn sighed. "Fairytale princesses are supposed to smile and make themselves believe that the prince that was picked out for them is their one true love and that if they compromise enough they can find happiness with someone that had been chosen for them. We are told from the day that we are born to love our duty to the story and that our prince is the only one that can love us, but that is a lie. It's a lie because most of the time we do not love our prince and the prince does not really love us, we just compromise with our real emotions and say that we do because it is all that we have ever known."

She looks at Hunter, sadness etched into her features. "But then all of those carefully laid plans and strict training gets completely obliterated when we do find someone we love and someone who loves us back. We realize the lie and we can't escape the truth of it all and go back to our safe ignorance once it's discovered. The feeling of realizing the truth, that by being bound to the laws of fairytales will not bring us the happily ever after we have been promised it's… it's maddening!"

The princess's eyes are bright with the memory of the pain and she clutches onto Hunter as if she feared that he'd be taken away. He envelops her fully in his arms as she continues to speak.

"I couldn't take it, I had tried to go back, to be the perfect princess like everyone wanted me to be, but I just could not stay away from you, I could not stay away from at least the promise of a few precious years of happiness even if it meant keeping you a secret and lying to Apple I was willing to do it. And then Raven came along, started her Rebellion and I was afraid at first, but once I had gathered enough courage to stand up to Apple and to my destiny I have never been so happy in my entire life!" She declares with severity as if trying to make Hunter believe the words in the case that he didn't already.

"I'm never going back to being that resigned girl who had to pretend to smile every time someone talked about my duties or my destiny, a part of me is still scared that we all might disappear if we don't follow our destinies but it's gotten to the point to where I just don't care about that anymore. I know that Apple would be utterly horrified if she heard me saying this but I'd rather disappear happily by your side then live a life trapped in lies and force my own first born daughter to do the same."

"And I would never stand to see you that miserable." Hunter kissed the top of Ashlynn's head; her hair smelled of pine trees and smoked leather.

She smiled at him, a true smile, even with the traces of the memories of pain and bitterness lurking in her eyes.

"Apple is going through the same dilemmas that I had gone through when I had found you. She want's to be with Raven, _needs_ to be with Raven but her fear of what would happen if she did not follow her destiny is holding her back from trying to forge a real happy life, it's driven her to madness! She is currently going over all the books that she can find on witches and the laws that govern her fairytale in the hopes of finding some sort of loophole so that she can be with Raven properly."

Hunter pauses for a moment. "No offense meant to your friend but… I don't recall you ever going completely off the deep end like you say that Apple is doing…"

Ashlynn shrugs. "Apple's always been a bit… sensitive about the whole fairest of them all business, what with her being born with blonde hair and needing to wear glasses to read."

"I didn't know that she wore glasses." Hunter thinks for a moment. "I've seen plenty of other princesses wear glasses and pull off the look pretty well…"

"Apple is a blonde, healthily pink skinned, naturally pink lipped future Snow White, the glasses thing just adds to all the criticism that she has been hearing since she was a little girl. And trust me people have not been shy about being rude about Apple's looks, or parts of her parent's court demanding a DNA test every so often." Ashlynn looked out into the distance with hard eyes, she wasn't mad at Hunter, she was mad at every single idiot that looked at Apple funny because genetics gifted her with looks that did no fit the story line.

"Fairytale! She had to hear all of that since she was a kid?" Hunter gaped.

"Mostly from adults at first, but then when the other kids became old enough to comprehend the story they got pretty cruel too. There's a reason why I've been so patient with her whenever she starts in on my personal life choices. She's terrified of losing one of the few friends she has who knows the full scope of the pressure she's under." Ashlynn's eyes narrowed a little bit more; she, Blondie, and briar had plans for those of the White kingdom's court that dared give Apple grief when she took over.

Ashlynn shook herself; she could dwell on thoughts of raising terror later.

"That's why I'm really hoping that Apple will figure things out really soon and set out to try and forge something with Raven. Raven has never cared about Apple's looks or whether or not she is acting like a perfect princess. Raven is constantly telling Apple that she is perfect just the way that she is and to be honest the only time that Apple seems to be at all happy in her own skin is when she is with Raven. I'm one of Apple's best friends and yet the only time when Apple seems to feel safe enough to drop the perfect princess act is when she is with Raven. I know that it might be a little biased of me to want them to get together but… Apple only seems to be at her very best as a living human being when she is with Raven in some shape or form."

Hunter hemmed in thought, blinking like a bemused birds out towards the darkening sky. "You know I think that princesses aren't the only ones who go through an internal crisis when they find love."

"Are you talking about Daring?" Ashlynn guessed, the prince had been acting pretty odd the past few months. Rumor had it that he hadn't had a date in a really long time.

"Yeah, and it would explain why he's so gun ho to get Raven and Apple together." Hunter mused. "I really feel for the guy, I hope he finds the love that he's looking for."

"I hope that they all do." Ashlynn agreed squeezing his hand.

Hunter may not be a prince charming, but he was a million times better as a lover, a partner, and a companion. Ashlynn pledged to hang on to this one for as long as she could and she hoped that one day her friends would be just as lucky finding someone to love just as much as she did Hunter.

XXX

Apple sucked in big lungful's of air as she leaned heavily against the stone work to one of the many towers littering the training grounds used by prince, princess, and villain training classes. She felt like a wreck, it was Thursday and so far her week was still clouded in a holding pattern of… well, of depression and frustration. Her days were mostly not that bad, normal even, but there was something important missing!

She wanted Raven back, it was driving her crazy knowing what she did and not having the witch within reach. She had taken advantage of how Raven's presence always seemed to make her day better, of how Raven just had a way to make her feel like she was perfect and fair, and now that Raven wasn't there she felt incredibly lonely in a sea of people.

To add onto that she had a particularly bothersome rival to Raven's affections to deal with. That was the third time today that Faybelle had slipped from her grasp! Thrice to be damned by the evolution of fairies with wings!

Curse Faybelle! Curse her for bringing her cousin Charlotte! Curse Charlotte! Curse all of Raven's suitors! Curse Apple White herself for her inability to find away to get what she wanted! Curse herself for being so blind to Raven's feeling's! Curse… curse herself for not realizing her own feelings sooner… for not acting on them…!

…Curse the… the fairytale for preventing Apple's happiness…

Apple sniffed trying to blink back tears of frustration from forming. She stood there for a long while feeling very stupid.

Her fairytale, the tale of Snow White, the greatest story of them all and yet…

Apple didn't want it anymore…

Well… actually yes, she kind of _did _actually but… there would be no Raven in the story. Before all of this mess happened she had wanted Raven to be apart of what was supposed to be the happiest day of Apple's life in some shape or form, which was why she so violently refused to acknowledge any other villain in her story.

But now things had changed to the point where Apple was getting so desperate to keep Raven in her life as someone that would spend the rest of her life with her that half the time it seemed as though she was running around trying to catch smoke vapors.

Although she _had_ learned many interesting things from all of the research that she was doing… at least there was that… She now knew that most witch cultures shared eight major holidays. Which had explained the question as to why one day a couple of months back Raven had woken her up early in the morning, declared a happy Imbolc, and given Apple a small bowl of salted pumpkin seeds and a small poppy seed cake (with hot apple cider of course), and it also answered the question as to why Raven had made a cute little doll out of straw and dressed it up like a bride. At the time Apple had noticed the other witches doing similar things so she just assumed that it had been an evil thing and kept her questions about it to herself least she might deter Raven from embracing her destiny.

Apple had spent about ten minutes kicking herself for being so thickheaded.

Before the fairytales Raven's family was considered the most influential witch royal line to survive the human's short campaign in annihilating all things magical and Wonderlandian while implementing anti-women policies in the lands that they had conquered, without having to move a single foot from their homeland. The Queen clan actually had the gall to not only stop trading the raw materials that the humans were using to make their weapons, but to build an alliance with Wonderland and use the magic from their world to turn all of the human kings and their men into women, as a result the women's underground took advantage of the confusion and seized power away from their tormentors (which is why almost all the fairytale kingdoms today such as the one ruled by the White family tended towards the queens having more power and recognition than the kings).

And most importantly Apple had learned that having Raven's heart was basically the same thing as a True Love bond (just less permanent).

It was a very rare phenomenon, rarer still between a human and a witch, in that the human recipient of the witch's heart (like Apple) had to have a heart that fit perfectly with the witch's, a soul mate, a just right spiritual alignment.

And this new bit of information meant one thing; one thing that utterly changed everything…

Daring was not Apple's true love. Raven's heart proved that she was the better match.

How… didn't they have tests for these kind of things? Did the Headmaster know about this from the very beginning?

Oh wait that's right; Raven was supposed to be the villain of the story, that and she was a girl! Of coarse they wouldn't test Raven to see if her heart was a match!

Apple was supposed to become Snow White. She had been raised to become that character, bred to be the next one in a long, proud line. Apple had wanted it, the title, the fairytale, _everything_ since before she could even walk (or so her tutors had claimed…).

Despite being under the impression that Apple did not feel the same way for her Raven still wanted to stay Apple's friend, to keep the bonds between them. She loved Apple enough to let the princess go, live her fairytale, marry her prince, and live happily ever after as Snow White.

Raven was Apple's true love. The closest a princess had gotten to actual _true_, True Love in centuries.

Apple held Raven's precious heart. The witch had made it clear that she would give it to no other.

How could Apple _possibly_ be all right with giving up on _that_?

She spied the approaching figure but this time she did not flee, she needed the help of her BFFA and even though the other's wrath was something worth avoiding (like to the point of hiding out under a rock for a few months until tempers had cooled down from fiery rage to temped annoyance) it was time to stop being afraid, it was time to fight for a long-shot possibility.

Raven was well worth what was coming.

Briar stopped less than three feet away from Apple, assessing the blonde with disapproving weariness. Apple wasn't trembling as much as she should be, keeping thoughts of Raven in her head made Apple unusually brave.

They stared at one another, waiting for a blink, a twitch, a sign of weakness from the other.

"I love Raven." Apple spoke steadily, not a waver to be found in her voice.

Briar's jaw set. "Yes you love Raven. Just not in the same way Raven loves you, your Majesty the Fair and True Future Snow White."

Apple internally grimaced at the title; outwardly her eyes blazed a glowing clear blue.

"Her Majesty the Young Fair Princess Apple White wants to fight for Queen Raven's hand." Apple bit back just as formally.

Briar scoffed sneering. "Queen Raven deserves more than a little princess's compromises and fairytale duties."

Apple did not back down. "Yes Raven does. She deserves nothing but to have the hand of someone who is willing to find a way around the fairytale's binds."

This got Briar's attention, her eyebrow raised upwards. "Is the Royal leader Apple White saying that she is looking for a way to have her cake and eat it too?"

"I have to try!" Apple snarled teeth flashing as she talked. "If Raven loves me enough to let me have a fairytale, the very thing she has been rebelling against, then it is only fair that I try to find a way to keep her!"

"And what about Daring?" Briar said in a voice that indicated that she really didn't care much about the boy but she was just bringing him up so that she could poke holes into Apple's theory.

"Daring shouldn't have even been named my prince in the first place!" Apple seethed. "But just because Raven was born a girl and into the Queen family meant that she was never tested to see if she was a match for me!"

Briar's nose scrunched in confusion. "Elaborate." She ordered.

Apple's shoulder's slumped. "I know that a witch's heart is essentially very similar to a _true_, True Love, and that it doesn't just happen, people's hearts have to match, Raven and my hearts match in a way that is much more profound than Daring's could ever be with mine. By the rules that fairytale characters are supposed to follow Raven should have been named my true love."

"Ignoring the fact that she's a girl and not a prince." Briar pointed out dryly.

"Ashlynn said to look for a loophole, she's been through this before, so there has to be some way that all of this can work out." Apple muttered to herself trying to give herself more confidence now that the adrenaline was pumping and Briar was growing closer and closer.

Suddenly a hand slapped into the stone centimeters from Apple's ear, the magic being let forth from the other princess's fingers whipped violently at Apple's hair.

"The loophole that Ashlynn found was to defy your guilt tricks and turn Rebel." Briar did not yell, but her even bored tone still made Apple's stomach drop. "What are you hoping to find princess? Some old dusty book in the library that preaches about love conquering all? If memory serves me right those same books reference the _executions_ of witches. Not exactly reference material that could be useful for a princess seeking the _affections_ of a witch."

"I have to try!" Apple glared refusing to be cowed. "I love Raven too much to just give up on her!"

"Love her?" Briar laughed. "Oh really Apple? Do you really love Raven? What if there is no loophole to be found? Will you just give up then?"

Apple was silent for a moment, contemplative. "No." she finally said. "I don't think that I will… perhaps…" She bowed her head thinking furiously. "Perhaps… if Raven's theories do prove true… Raven is very smart after all and she'd never risk me or her other friends to disappear…"

"You'll do what Apple? Suffer being married to Daring just long enough to sign the annulment papers?" Briar sighed sounding utterly fed up.

"I'll turn Rebel." Apple squeezed her eyes shut as if fearing her ancestor's wrath for speaking such blasphemy. "If no one starts to disappear then I won't do the fairytale. I'll stay Apple White and marry Raven."

Both eyebrows rose at this. "Well, well, I'll be damned." Briar stepped back smiling as she shook her head. "Never thought I'd see the princess willing to turn Rebel or the witch taking up a path that is suspiciously of Royal colors."

Apple opened her eyes. "Briar, what are you talking about?"

Briar smirked looking as if laughing at a secret joke. "Why haven't you told Raven any of this?" She shot back.

Now Apple flinched and look down. "I… need to settle on a single solution. I mean the night that Raven confessed to me I had made it very clear that I just wanted to stay friends. Raven… she has trouble believing that people care about her sometimes and if I just come up to her and say all of this without showing that I had found something solid for her to hang onto… to make her believe that I won't just up an leave at the first sign of doubt then she'll just me push away all the harder."

The two princesses stared at one another for a long while. It was not nearly as intense of a stare as the earlier one; this was just more mutual curiosity and thinking deep thoughts more than anything else.

"Alright." Briar put her hands up smiling in satisfaction. "I approve."

"What?" Apple asked blinking.

"I am satisfied that this time, for the first time, you are thinking things through and that you won't hurt anybody in the process." Briar stated smile widening at Apple's scowl.

"What do you mean _for the first time_?" Apple demanded.

Briar ignored her in favor of thinking profoundly at a stray thought; she put her hand to her chin and everything.

"You know… Given the fact that Raven is a witch and considering who her father is… I do suppose that there is a loophole to all of this after all." Briar began chuckling slapping her hand to her forehead in disbelief. "Well I'll be damned again! A loophole that would allow for the Royal to have her fairytale and her witch, and the Rebel to have her princess and her freedom! It really is that simple!"

"What is?" Apple stepped closer eyes wide and desperate.

"Nuh uh, sugar, you've spent the last three months drivin' me up the wall, I'm not tellin' you anything, and besides if I just tell you then what would be the first thing that you'd do? Hmm? You are so wound up right now that you would run up to her in the middle of class or something and cause quite a scene. I'm not doing this to be mean Apple, I'm not telling you anything because I don't want to see you get slapped for doing something ridiculous like carrying Raven around caveman style and declaring her your mate to every single potential suitor on campus." Briar stated knowingly while backing away. "You said so yourself Raven needs proof that you are doing this because you love her and not because she should have been pronounced your true love by some old dusty relics… and also there's the added assurance to our dear Raven that you aren't just using her as an experiment."

"Briar…" Apple warned.

"I said Nuh. Uh. And I mean it Apple. You want Raven to understand your feeling's you are going to have to _work for it_." Briar shook her head firmly. "Tell you what; if you can't figure it out before the last week before summer I'll tell you, but only under the condition that you _remain calm_ when you go off to confess your feelings to Raven."

"But that's almost a whole month and a half away!" Apple exclaimed horrified.

"This is the only way I can be sure that you won't go and scare Raven off!" Briar exclaimed throwing her hands up. "She's may be the best thing to ever happen to you Apple, but she is also the one person in the world that seems to bring out the impulsive, half crazed side of you." Briar cast Apple a look that dared her to deny it.

"I can control myself!" Apple defended feeling affronted that her BFFA thought that she would be so impulsive as to say such a private confession in front of the entire school! It was just ridiculous! Such a thing would be detrimental to any chance of Raven kissing her… the same way Apple wanted to kiss the witch back! And if Apple was successful enough to warrant Raven's kisses then surely some cuddling would eventually transpire, Apple wasn't fool enough to jeopardize those chances by embarrassing Raven in a public place! "All I have to do is to take Raven aside to somewhere private and be perfectly honest and clear with her. We talk about our feeling's and _hopefully_ Raven will believe me enough when I tell her that I love her to give me, _us _a chance!"

"Yeah well life has a tendency of throwing situations at you that will test a patience that I know for a fact that you_ do not _possess!" Briar shot back still backing away.

"What situations?" Apple demanded. "I am the future queen to the White kingdom! If there is a situation I am trained to handle it with proper conduct and action!"

Briar snorted, a look that was both amused and dry crossed her face. "Yeah right." She pointed to a spot above Apple's head. "Faybelle's been listening in on us this entire time! Can you seriously look me in the eye and tell me that you won't try to rip off her wings for kissing Raven? Do you really think that she would pass up the opportunity to see you go completely postal?"

Not even a second passed after the brunette's statement before Apple spotted the observing fairy (who was watching the blonde princess with rapt, anticipating attention) and promptly began swearing and glowing in response to Faybelle's presence (making the fairy grin with glee, seeing the fair Apple White begin belting out extensive curses and knowing that she, Faybelle, was the cause of such a reaction? Priceless).

Briar sighed.

XXX

"I ended up telling her about the Good King being Raven's birth father, it was a bigger hint than I would have normally admitted to her right off the bat but Faybelle had ran her mouth about a few things… and it was the only way I could get her to calm down." Briar muttered to the ceiling, her arms crossed and an unhappy scowl written plainly across her face.

"I would have thought that news like that would have wound her up not calmed her down." Cerise rolled over so that she could look at the other's face more directly.

Briar huffed in silent agreement. "Well she wanted at least a hint and she had not been very pleased to find out that I had asked Faybelle to intentionally lure her out… But her ire towards me has been set aside for now at least, she had been shocked to find out about Raven's heritage but the news seems to have made her even more focused on trying to find a loophole oddly enough. I think that part of it was that she had mentally calculated the sum total of the Queen land and estates and the King land and estates, then added that to Raven's growing bridal net worth and got serious really fast."

Cerise turned again, now lying on her stomach she propped her head up so that she could peer down at the princess lying in her bed. "I suppose that would scare her into focus… What's the other part?"

"Equal ground." Briar replied with a wry smile. "As it is Raven's title is currently that of a queen, but because of her mother's crimes, politics would make it difficult to convince Apple's parent's court to keep their mouths shut about how Apple is living her personal life. But since Raven is to inherit both the Queen and King realms…"

"This is another thing involving money and kissing ass isn't it?" Cerise groaned, dropping her head dramatically onto her comforter.

"When it comes to royal courts it is always about money and kissing ass." Briar informed sagely rolling onto her side and rubbing her pointer finger gently along a spot at the top of Cerise's covered head that never ceased to make her whine quietly and cause her foot to twitch. "On the flip side watching Apple stress over how to both find a loophole and integrate Raven into her future life makes me very happy that I no longer have to deal with kingdom politics."

Cerise rolled back onto her side to face the princess, brow raised (a little reluctantly seeing as Briar had very talented massaging fingers as far as she was concerned). "No? But you're the firstborn right? Even if you don't go through with your fairytale wouldn't that make you the heir to your kingdom's throne?"

"That's what the little siblings are for." Briar snorted, her eyes bright and a little wild. "They will certainly bring it up but I won't do it, if they try to announce me as the next queen I'll abdicate. Very loudly and publically, I swear it!"

"I take it that being a queen does not appeal to you." Cerise blinked like a curious animal.

"If I become queen my mother, by family tradition, will be apart of the new court." Briar hissed looking very much like a caged animal. "That would be _hell_!"

Cerise nodded in sympathy, she hadn't formally met the late Sleeping Beauty but she had been there, in the same room, when Briar had tried to ask for help on her change in sleep habits and that time when Briar had been talking to her dad in latanic and a shrewd third voice had halted conversation with her… less than charitable words about the mage race.

"It's pretty difficult to remember that Rosabella's mother and your mother are actually sisters sometimes." Cerise muttered quietly, the late Beauty from the tale _beauty and the beast_ was Sleeping Beauty's polar opposite, a liberal woman who believed in equal rights for beasts at Ever After and had instilled those same wonderful beliefs to her daughter Rosabella. Cerise had met Beauty on a few occasions with her mother when she was younger, the older woman being one of a select few people who knew the truth behind her heritage, she had been compassionate and had told Cerise that she thought her ears were pretty.

Briar sighed. "Tell me about it." She grumbled. "She still goes after my great grandmother for her "questionable" and "scandalous" decision to leave her first husband to be with and procreate with my great grandfather. Honestly I'm surprised that a Rebellion against Book rules hadn't happened sooner, it shouldn't matter whether or not your blood is "pure" or "mixed" because such notions are just stupid and outdated if you ask me." The princess spat out scornfully.

Cerise hesitated. "…What about a… child born from two fairytale characters outside of arrangement?" She turned her gaze down to a spot on the quilted comforter. "What about… a child born from two fairytale characters who were supposed to be enemies? A-a… a maiden and a villain."

Briar paused for a moment, looking at Cerise as if for the first time.

"It shouldn't matter then either." The princess spoke quietly.

Cerise looked up in surprise meeting the princess's sincere gaze.

"Love is precious." Briar stated voice raw. "A child born from two people who love each other should be treated with the respect that all living beings should have. Not as a travesty or an embarrassment. They should be allowed to proudly proclaim their parents as they are and not have to hide in the dark."

Cerise scooted closer until she could duck her head under Briar's chin and curl a little into the other girl. "I'm tired. Your comfy." Cerise explained while trying to repress a sob, Briar just wrapped her arms around the other and turned them so that she could more easily hold Cerise while she pretended not to cry into the princess's shoulder.

It was a very long while until either spoke again.

"How are you taking this whole… situation?" Cerise piped up sounding a little hoarse. "It really seems as though both Apple and Raven have a real good chance at each other."

Briar sighed through her nose, humming in thought. "It doesn't hurt as much as I had thought that it would." She admitted. "I still… have feelings for Apple but… I think that I'm starting to move on a little bit. Maybe even developing a small infatuation for somebody else… somebody that I have gotten really close to recently… How about you? How are you holding up?"

Cerise turned her head to the side, her drying eyes turned towards the balcony. "It's the same with me I guess… I still have feelings for Raven but… it wouldn't hurt me if I saw her with Apple. Actually if they do finally manage to get together I have been thinking… that maybe it would be a good thing… maybe I would have a chance with… this girl that I have also gotten close to recently…"

The two paused, letting the unspoken words of "who else" and "is it who I think it is" rest heavily in the air of the room. Both wondering and yet not quite prepared to ask. Not yet. Not while everything surrounding them was still a whirl of romantic tension and angst, such words should only be asked in the aftermath, when an outcome had been forged and the world calmed down back to manageable levels.

Cerise bit her lip. "Hey Briar… if things… turned sideways do you think that you would have ever tried things out with Apple?"

Briar thought about it for a moment. "That would probably be pretty difficult to do. I mean even when Apple is openly admitting to herself that she is deeply in love with Raven she is still letting her fairytale hold her back. Sure, soon she'll have this "loophole" that I've come up with to make her happy and hopefully end all of this nonsense but that's just it; she still expects _me_ to live out my fairytale. I can't do that, I can't keep pretending that I'm okay with falling asleep for a hundred years and losing everything I love in the process, and I think that if she messes things up with Raven it's going to take Apple a long time to come to terms with the fact that we all have been lied to about our duties to the Book."

"You sound very certain that the Headmaster has been lying this whole time." Cerise pointed out carefully.

"I just think that it's odd that no one has explained to us why exactly the Book of Legends was created, there's just that little vague notation in the beginning of all of the history books there was this great evil that needed to be vanquished using fairytale magic. And since the Evil Queen's crimes are way worse than the awful acts that had been recorded from way back when, I'm pretty certain that whatever the Book was supposed to prevent has failed and we are currently going about like idiots trying to relive the lives of a bunch of long dead people when we should be doing what Raven is doing and focusing on using our talents to fix this mess and find new ways to prevent them." Briar spoke bitterly.

"Oh I think that you're going to get along with a lot of the Rebels just fine." Cerise snickered now grinning widely enough to show her long canine teeth.

Briar smiled as well, it felt good to be accepted so readily for who she really was.

She thought for a moment more before voicing her thoughts. "It would be so very frustrating loving Apple at the very beginning. Daring has been fingering that harem pendant with great concentration so I know that he's probably going to either try to smuggle himself to Wonderland or accept protection under Raven's clan name if things don't work out between her and Apple, so I'm not too worried about him being dragged into Apple's immanent freak out in that scenario. Best case scenario Dexter would be in some big trouble at that point, and if he's still not over himself by then Faybelle will gleefully take on the Evil Queen roll and send those two off to start what I predict will be a very dysfunctional marriage that will end the moment that boy sets his sights on Guado. I have met Guado before so I know for a fact that this would definitely happen."

Cerise tries to contain her snickers, it's only marginally successful.

Briar looks at the ceiling. "I predict that Apple would then spend the next few years trying to track Raven, Daring, and Dexter down to plead her case while busily planning her own funeral down to the last detail." She waves her hands in the air dramatically. "By the time she finally stops acting like a pain in the butt I'll probably have become so fed up with waiting that I have simply moved on." The princess sighs.

"That's the best case scenario?" Cerise asks incredulous.

"Best case for me." Briar defends. "In all of the other scenarios I end up either second fiddle or the mistress, and that I spend about half the time trying very hard to reign in the urge to kill her." At Cerise's horrified look Briar shrugs. "I may love Apple but I have no delusions that as long as there is the fairytale _any_ romantic relationship between us would… not be very healthy."

Cerise thought for a moment. "You know the sad thing is that I can actually envision all of that actually happening." She sighed sitting up and quickly wiping at the tear tracks around her now dried eyes.

"What about you?" Briar asks. "I bet that you have a better chance with your crush than I do with mine, would you go for it?"

"Am I a living mammal with a pulse?" Cerise replies with a small smile. "Heck yeah I'd try. Even though my feelings for Raven are currently starting to drift off to this other girl… I still care for her enough that I'm certain I'll fall fast and hard for her if these feelings are given some fuel to nurture them. In that scenario, where I'd be lucky enough to win her interest over all of those suitors… yeah I'd love her. I'd love her a lot and I know that she'd grow to love me back."

The hooded girl shifts so that she is sitting back while supporting herself with her arms, there's still a smile on her face but it's more sober. "But you know what? I really am hoping that never happens. I know it sounds a little crazy for me to do a one-eighty on what I had just said but… they just love each other y'know? The only times I have ever seen two people that much in love are my parents and Ashlynn and Hunter. Those two getting together… I just can't help but hope that they'd find the same sort of happiness."

Briar matches Cerise's smile with one of her own.

"Yeah." She says sitting up and grabbing the other's hand. "I can't help but hope that too."

XXX

Raven sighed feeling a little melancholy, it was Friday and that meant that the visiting witches had to depart back home.

It had been an utter delight being surrounded by her own kind for once, no offense meant to all of her human friends at Ever After but the majority of the traditions at the fairytale high school were human created and designed for the humans to enjoy, and while Raven found at least some of those traditions (such as pizza Fridays and colorful boiled egg hunting) very charming… many of the others… just weren't very fun (especially for a witch. There were no fairytale parts for witches other than the villain role so whenever Raven turned up for princess appreciation day for example she would have to duck out and disappear due to everyone pointing and screaming because she was in the room).

She had a family outside of the life of fairytales, she had a whole family of great-grandmothers and aunties and cousins and they had been there her whole life! Lurking in the background until the day of graduation where, apparently, the elders had been preparing to spirit her, and Maddie away, leaving nothing but a note for the Headmaster to find on his desk the next morning.

Raven was able to be declared her father's daughter and she had reconnected herself to her witch heritage all in the same week. The Rebels were going on strong, her friends were finding their own paths to happiness, she had ended up ending the feud between the Thorn clan and the Queen clan, and she had smoothed things over with Apple. Although the rejection did sting, she would still be able to be friends with her, and the freedom to finally move on felt very reassuring. Never before had Raven ever felt so loved or secure about her own future. It was a good feeling, even though Raven found herself half afraid that it was all a dream she still took a moment to enjoy it, the road of the future would still have some tough obstacles waiting for her (the Evil Queen, the curse, graduating senior Rebels who were looking to her for help with the Headmaster when his focus returned back to the Rebel versus Royal conflict, and all of those betrothal requests, _Ancestors almighty_ all of those requests), and she was just going to live in the moment while it lasted before things turned crazy once again.

"Cousin Raven where did you go?" Asked the little girl braiding daisies in Raven's lap. Maydragon was an adorable witchling with bright green eyes and little wisps of pink decorating her dark hair, a perfect clone to her older sister Redfish and both obvious relatives to Raven. Maydragon had skipped several grades and that was why she was on this trip with the other older witches, a smart beautiful little girl that had a big sister with a protective streak a mile wide, Raven felt honored that the protective older girl had dubbed her worthy enough to let her hang out with the witchling like this.

"Where did I go?" Raven smiled indulgently down at the little girl. "But I'm right here, I don't think I went anywhere."

Maydragon giggled. "Silly cousin, I meant where did your mind wander off to. Big sister says that sometimes people's minds travel to far off places while their bodies stay in one place, like astral projection but different."

Raven shared a look with said big sister, the two of them breathing a little laugh at the child's statement.

"Yeah." Raven admitted. "I guess I was pretty far away there for a moment."

"Where did you go cousin Raven?" Redfish asked playfully.

"I went to that place where one goes to count their blessings, and meditate about where life is taking me." Raven sighed fitting the top of Maydragon's head with a daisy crown.

"And how's that going for you?" Redfish asks peering at Raven, looking for any signs of stress or worry in the other witch.

"Actually… things are looking surprisingly bright." Raven confessed slowly, as if she couldn't believe that things were going so well for her.

"That's good to hear." Hopper (in his human form) smiled at Raven, daisies surrounding his crown. He and most of the witches got along surprisingly well, once Raven explained his nervous reaction of how he tended to get tongue-tied in front of beautiful girls in his human form and then turn into a smooth talking frog as a result of getting so flustered, instead of being grossed out like most maidens at Ever After High, they actually found him to be quite adorable, in both forms.

Good for him Raven thought. It was about time the boy found some people who were willing to not only accept both halves of himself but to also find him rather cute in either form, she had a feeling that Hopper was going to have his hands full with a few witchy admirers very soon.

Raven looked around to the other witches lounging about while waiting for their motorbrooms to be brought out of storage and talking with a few Ever After students who they had taken a liking to. Blondie was going around taking interviews and making up for all the lost time she had while held up in bed sick, Cupid practically glued herself to her roommate's side, making sure that the girl did not overdo things and get sick again.

There were a lot of boys from the dorm fiasco expressing their undying gratitude for the witch's help

Charlotte was sticking around for the weekend before heading back home with Faybelle for spring break; she had already spoken her goodbyes to her classmates and was currently spending her morning before classes being treated to an extended tour of the forest by Faybelle and Briar.

Raven breathed, there was still a long road to go before life after Ever After began but for the first time it seemed as though the future was looking very bright indeed.

XXX

_Tap, tap, tap…_

She had no idea when the summer months would begin, a worrying realization that came when she began keeping track of nights and days.

She had been in the mirror for so long the concept of months and years had become so… alien.

_Tap, tap, tap, flash!_

_Dammit_! If only she could get her hands on-

"Who's sneaking around in here?" A gruff voice barked, Ms. Trollsworth flung open the door and stormed in ready to put the fear of the underworld into some snot nosed teenager lurking about the Headmaster's chambers.

The Evil Queen gave an ethereal shrug; that one will do.

The sharpened tendrils of shadows slithered out of their hiding places and speared towards the secretary so fast that the woman didn't even have a chance to scream.

One lone tendril closed the door; it wouldn't do to be interrupted while such a gory task commenced.

Hours later the figure of a human woman stepped out of the room, gently closing the door behind her, white glowing eyes surveyed their surroundings with glee and she held a grin so wide it nearly threatened to split her face. She was naked save for the wispy blood soaked shadows that made up her hair.

Bathed in the rays of the afternoon sun the Evil Queen took a moment to allow the warm light from the star to seep into her exposed flesh.

She wanted to shout, she wanted to break through the window and start causing destruction immediately! See the look of terror from her victims as their unworthy eyes feasted their last sight in this world of her in her full glory!

As satisfying as such a thought might be, she still had to find the spawn before they had a chance to steal her away again… and the element of surprise would be far more gratifying, the pleasure of delayed gratification and all that.

So with the arm bone wand in hand she quietly opened the window and flew out as a large cloud of black smoke.

As she soared high over the unsuspecting campus the Evil Queen couldn't help but let forth a satisfied cackle.

She was finally free.


	14. The one were they prepare for battle

Author's note (skip if you want the climax is building):

Got a little busy for a while and I also got a little case of writer's block but I was able to get stuff done and get over my writer's block and pop this puppy out.

I wanted to build up to the final battle on a slow burn before turning up the flames and have everything happen (as things in battles tend to do) all at once.

Thank you so much for your reviews, they help me want to keep writing and some of them have some good ideas or point out little facts and theories that help me come up with content for the chapters.

On a side note I started wondering, for an idea of an alternate- alternate universe drabble of what life would have been like if Apple had married both Raven and Daring. The resulting answer was that it would be an utter mess; aside from the obvious troubles the three would have to deal with on a personal level there would still be problems on a larger scale.

I wondered what if they tried to merge Raven's lands and Apple's kingdom together under one governmental rule (I'm assuming since there are three Charming siblings that it is planed for Darling's husband to become the next King Charming and carry on the family name that way) in my head-canon-alternate universe the Queen and White lands border one another and the King kingdom is a hop and skip across a neutral territory or two away (although with the applications of magical portals distance might not be an issue), having a predominately human kingdom merge with a witch state, and a magic heavy and culturally mixed kingdom… two out of the three would be able to handle merging better than the one in my mind. Although any successful merging of lands would take time, longer than Daring's lifetime perhaps, so

And that is if the White kingdom and Raven's lands join at all, It could be just as well that more than one daughter would be expected to be born, one to rule over the White kingdom, the other the King-Queen lands.

Just a potential drabble or spinoff sequel one-shot idea that woke me up in the middle of the night.

Thanks again for the reviews and I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

XXX

The one where they prepare for battle

XXX

Charlotte watched princess Apple White curiously from a safe distance.

The princess was not doing very well the witch noted. Without any proper contact from Raven Queen the blonde girl just seemed to wilt with the missed opportunity of being with Raven in a romantic capacity.

Raven on the other hand was doing extremely well, she had confessed that she had expected for her feelings to be turned down by the princess and now that she had made her feelings clear and at the very least came away from the experience with their friendship intact Raven said that she felt… relieved. Now that her feelings had been made known and a clear verdict handed down, Raven did not feel like she had to lie to her dear friend about this topic anymore and now that all seemed to be well she could more easily move on with her life.

But not all was well, because now apparently the pretty princess had miraculously decided that she did indeed return Raven's romantic feelings and now found that she had put her metaphorical foot in her mouth with her initial rejection and was trying desperately to get herself out of this predicament without scaring Raven away.

Briar had said that Raven needed her space and that Apple needed to just get over her fears and either come up with a loophole herself or begin with the wooing without the loophole already because it was going to take a lot of wooing either way before Raven comprehended that Apple White actually loved Raven in a romantic, totally non-platonic way.

Although Charlotte knew Briar and usually trusted her judgment… fact was if the princess did not make her feelings known soon it was quite possible that she'd never get a chance at wooing her witch, because Raven Queen loved Apple White and wanted to get over the princess as soon as possible so that everything could go back to normal.

With a sigh Charlotte resigned herself to feeling Briar's wrath and trudged after the princess who had disappeared into the woods. She wondered just how exactly she had found herself so invested in this mess.

Right. Bleeding heart, secret romantic, promise to prince, and that little bit of her that just wanted to at least see one relationship between a human and a witch have some healthy hope for success.

Rolling up her sleeves Charlotte could only hope that she was doing the right thing.

It was time to end this nonsense.

XXX

Kitty stared at a pacing Apple White from her perch in her favorite tree for Friday afternoon naps (and Thursday's, and Monday's, and every day there wasn't snow or rain).

Apple stopped her pacing and twitched nervously.

Maddie considered the princess under a disturbingly steady gaze.

Apple gulped and flinched back a little.

Earl Grey and Nevermore (in dragon form) calmly munched on some scones while drinking their tea, watching the humans with mild interest.

"S-so…" Apple cleared her throat weakly but couldn't find the voice to finish her thought.

Finally Kitty sat up. "You do realize that Raven is a Rebel right? The leader of the Rebels to be more precise, as in she _doesn't want_ to be in a fairytale in any shape or form at all." She reminded arms crossed.

"I know." Apple nods showing that she had indeed thought about that. "But if I just go up to Raven and tell her that I love her and that I want to try to fight for us so soon after I had given her grief about the fairytale, my duties… and that really ignorant plan to make her my witch consort when in reality she deserves to be my wife… she… she won't believe me."

Apple looks down ashamed. "I shouldn't have just automatically assumed all of that… Raven's culture is so different from mine and I should have seen just how serious all of this was from the look on her face when she confessed. I… I am very sorry that I had made such a gross mistake by just jumping in with half-baked solutions to a situation that I should have treated with more respect and decency."

The princess looks at them imploringly. "But I do love her, I love Raven so much I don't know what to do with myself! Once Raven's feelings had become known to me, and I took the time to examine my own feelings for her… I couldn't even last a day! I want to be with her! And the Headmaster can't get between us because my research into witch's hearts has revealed something that not even he can argue with! I know now what having Raven's heart means! She should have been the one to be named my true love, not Daring!"

Apple prayed that these two would see that she was being genuine, hoped that they'd forgive her enough to help, she was so, so close to her goal and yet so, _so_ close to losing Raven forever.

"Raven has been very worried that the only possible way that you would be able to return her feelings is if you felt that it was your duty to." Maddie admits taking a sip from her tea. "It will be rather difficult to convince her that you return her feelings of your own free will."

"Which is part of the reason why I need to find a loophole! I need to convince Raven that I really want this, that I'm willing to be with her fairytale or no fairytale!" Apple explained with desperation. "Raven would never believe that I would be willing to turn Rebel for her! Briar has already figured one out yesterday but she won't tell me what it is unless I haven't figured it out by the last week of school!_ By_ _the last week of_ _school Raven could end up engaged to some harpy like Faybelle_! I know that it has something to do with Raven being the daughter of the Good King but for the life of me I can't think of anything!"

"Raven did mention something about Faybelle propositioning her in a most unusual fashion…" Maddie muttered making Apple growl a little at the reminder of the fairy stealing several kisses from the witch.

"What really surprises me is that you are willing to turn Rebel." Kitty shook her head in a manor that seemed like she was trying to dislodge something blocked in her ear, because seriously? Royal leader Apple White turning Rebel? In what universe? "Aren't you all bent out of shape about everyone disappearing or something?"

Apple hugged herself looking down. "Raven knew that she had a right to be declared my true love but she kept quiet about it, she kept quiet so that I could live my fairytale the way I had always described it, she did all of that to make me happy."

The princess looked up tears shining, threatening to spill. "Raven had to suffer her first-hand knowledge of knowing what her mother was capable of, of what it would mean for her if she went through with her destiny in silence for so long. But Raven is smart and she is really, _really _nice, she would not do things like denying her destiny, without having put some serious thought into it beforehand. Raven would have never risked us all like that if she had a single doubt that the people she loved would get hurt."

Apple shook her head lips thinning into a grim line. "I should have realized that a lot sooner, but instead I instantly labeled her based on her heritage and treated her poorly because of it, and yet Raven loved me enough to take whatever I threw at her and stayed here, not for her, but for me. I'm still terrified that we still might disappear but… witches… they aren't as scared of the unknown like us humans are. If there was anyone who would be brave and powerful enough to save everybody from disappearing, _if_ that ever happens, Raven would be the one to do it."

"Yes she would." Maddie nodded as if it should have been obvious to the princess in the first place, she kept her staring, making Apple fidget anew and look around nervously.

"I…" Apple swallows looking away from the other's intense gaze, it was incredibly unnerving seeing Maddie look at her so seriously. "I would also like for the chance to properly apologize to Raven… for my actions towards her. Both for my… embarrassing cultural ignorance a-and for how I had treated her, the years that I had chased after her demanding she act more like a villain and my mistreatment towards her when she started the Rebellion against the Book." Apple looks to the ground grimly. "Now that I… mostly understand where she was coming from I-I don't know how she was able to find in within herself to even talk to me let alone be my friend. If… if our roles had been reversed I don't really think I can see myself exorcising the same patience as Raven has with me."

It was difficult to admit but it was true, if Apple had been in Raven's situation… well Apple certainly wouldn't have stayed in the same dorm. Hex Apple wouldn't even try to talk to any of the Royals and have to bare their harsh criticisms!

But Raven had, she looked Apple right in the eye and defended her ground countless times, over time the subject of Raven being evil went from fighting words to just an everyday annoyance for the witch. Eventually whenever Apple would scold Raven for not being a proper villain the witch had gotten to the point where she simply shrugged off the princess's words and reply back with an act of kindness or ignored Apple's comment completely.

The Hatter's spine straightens even more than it had been already, and for the first time since Apple had come to know Madeline Hatter the girl gives the princess a look that is wholly, disturbingly sane. "Since her birth had been made known to the many worlds in existence Raven has been the center of much criticism and misguided fear and thus Raven marches to the beat of her own drum, regardless of whether her actions are seen as appropriate or not Raven has grown used to people's harsh words at every decision she makes."

Maddie sighs tiredly; her face pinches into something akin to an expression one makes when seeing a grown man get their head stuck in the banister… for the twelfth time… in a week. "Although your intentions to apologize to Raven are noble and I approve of it… the fact is that Raven responds best to action over the spoken. I have seen many people come up to Raven in order to apologize and well… lets just say that Raven can't fully grasp the concept… of people apologizing to her in relation to their misguided ideas of Evil Queens and how they had been in the wrong when they reacted in either fear or rage against her. Like you said before Raven knows better than anyone what the Evil Queen is like and because of this she has been left… with scars that run deeper than her physical ones…"

Maddie turns to the princess hands on her hips. "Essentially if you are going to woo Raven and convince her that you are her ideal mate you will need more than fancy words and promises… patience and constant positive reassurances are your best bet."

The Hatter paused thinking over her words before, satisfied, she nodded to herself.

For a long moment Apple stared bewilderedly at Maddie.

"Are… did you just give me approval?" She looked imploringly to Kitty. "She gave me approval right?"

"That's what she said." Kitty lifted her brow at Apple.

Maddie turned to Kitty. "Did I get my words topsy turvy? I must admit that this language does not come out at all well like riddleish does. It's just so difficult to wrap my tongue around! No rhyme nor madness to it." The girl sniffed.

Apple let out a breath in relief, finally an ally. "So you'll help me figure out a loophole?"

"Positive forecast of sunshine." Maddie nodded, her usual grin back in place.

"Er…" Apple bit her lip.

"She said yes, she's sure that we can come up with something plausible." Kitty translated.

"I might be able to make things go faster." Charlotte spoke appearing from a thicket brushing off invisible dust from her shoulders. "I must say it's pretty difficult to imagine anybody navigating these woods with ease."

"Charlotte!" Apple hissed instantly illuminating.

Said witch held up her hands. "Calm princess I come in peace." She assured with a bewitching smirk. "Besides I know of a loophole that might prove useful to you."

Apple eyed the witch wearily. "Why would you help me? And were you listening in this entire time?" The princess demands.

The smirk does not leave the witch's face but it does turn a little sheepish. "Actually I got a little turned around in these woods so I have little to no clue as to the full extent of what you had been discussing." Which was true, she had gotten a little turned around, what with all of the uncontained residual magics floating about it was a miracle that any magic user could walk ten feet in any direction and not get distracted.

"Besides that… the reason why I am helping you is because of the fact that, well although I'd normally trust Briar's judgment when it comes to her best friends and matters of the heart… you see I really don't think that your chances of convincing Raven that your feelings are real would be all that great if you waited much longer. Raven loves you so much that she is going to do her damndest to move on from you as fast as possible so that things won't be so awkward for you guys in your friendship."

Apple grimaced carding her fingers agitatedly through her hair. "I know that's what she's doing." She whimpered a little shaky. "And I know that she won't believe a word I say unless I have a loophole to present to her, something that will assure Raven that I've chosen her, over Daring, over the fairytale norms… but that still doesn't explain why you of all people would want to help me." Apple eyed the witch with uncertainty.

Charlotte met the princess's gaze with a snort of amusement. "I was never your enemy princess, the only intentions I have towards Raven is to become her purely platonic friend… that and to keep Faybelle from sexually harassing her just so that she can get under your skin, which heads up by the way has become her new favored pastime."

"Yeah I've noticed." Apple gritted out, poison lacing her words. "Tell your cousin that she'll be in a world of pain the day I manage to get lucky enough to catch her."

"That won't slow her down." Charlotte assured. "Tempting fate is how my cousin gets her jollies, and she has little interest in seeing you and Raven work out if it means that there is a chance that she'll get to make an alliance with the Thorn and King-Queen clans through a marriage with Raven."

"And what about you? Don't you want to see a union between your two families?" Apple spat.

"Nope." Charlotte admitted without hesitation.

"Huh?" Apple's brow furrowed, that had been unexpected.

"There are two levels to my reasons why I don't want to see a marriage happen between Raven and my cousin; first on a purely personal level… I kind of have a sappy bleeding heart when it comes to love between humans and witches; in short it gives me the happy fuzzies to see thousands of years of racism and persecution cast away in the face of a common love for one another and with hope your eventual marriage to her will shake away many of those negative views some human colonies still harbor towards witches and other magical creatures."

"Oh." Apple blinked, she hadn't thought of that. "And what's this other level? I'm guessing the purely professional one?"

"That either my or my cousin's future offspring be the ones to form an alliance with your witchlings." Charlotte said with a casual shrug, ignoring the fact that she had just sent Apple into a sputtering loop. "It doesn't have to end in marriage per se but politically it would seem less likely that the Thorn clan is forming an alliance with the Queen clan in a purely offensive gesture to the Evil Queen, despite Raven's bridal net worth critics within the family might not receive Raven into our fold as well as Faybelle or myself would. That and forming an alliance with one of your offspring would be far more profitable seeing as how if you marry, both kingdoms and the Queen estates will be merged together."

Apple coughed she hadn't thought about that either. "Well all of this depends of_ if _I can convince Raven to marry me." The princess reminded. "As it currently is, my chances with her are… distressingly low, you are taking on a very big gamble Miss Charlotte Thorn."

The witch hummed smugly to herself. "A gamble worth taking princess. Now do you want my assistance or would you prefer it to figure this whole loophole thing out on your own?"

Before Apple could open her mouth Kitty pipes up. "She's taking your offer." The cat girl grouches, appearing next to Maddie. "I've had enough of those two dancing around, if I have to deal with this one more day I'm locking the two of them in a closet and I'm not letting them out until they outright consummate their damn courtship!" Kitty swore with a vengeance.

Maddie hid her laughter behind her hands as Apple turned a shade of red that matched her namesake.

Charlotte blinked slowly, shaking her head in an effort to forget what she had just heard. "Ahem! Well since you've insisted; princess? In the tale of Snow White you have to marry a prince am I correct?"

Apple shook herself focusing on more serious matters. "Yes that's correct." She stated all business.

"And Raven is the daughter of the Good King, making her the future Good King." Charlotte continued.

"Yes…" Apple bit her lip, trying to figure out just where this was going.

"Princess, what is the title of a future king, someone who is an heir to the Good King?" Charlotte gave Apple a flat look.

Realization dawned on Apple and she smacked her head with a groan. "Prince. Raven is the prince to the King kingdom. How could I have missed that?" She wailed to the sky.

"My question is, how Raven's managed to collect so many titles in such a short time." Kitty muttered just within Maddie's hearing range.

"Are you just going to stand their all day or are you going to get your girl already?" Charlotte asked hands on her hips, a smile spread across her face.

"Right." Apple stumbled past the witch almost making it out of sight before she reluctantly paused. "Oh Maddie, Kitty… _Charlotte_… thanks." That was all the princess said before dashing away.

"Right." Charlotte surveyed her surroundings. "Might somebody be so kind as to point me in the right direction of the campus? All the excess magics floating around make it difficult to-"

There was a feeling, almost like a tangible shift of atmospheric pressure that squeezed the delicate bones of the sinuses, the constant ebb and flow of stray magics bowed away, some even winking out of existence, the air suddenly seemed to turn heavy and their was a distressing metallic tang to it's taste.

Charlotte's magic flared, her stomach lurched, she clutched at her mouth and attempted to not throw up, she found the task difficult because accompanying the metallic taste of air was a sickly sweet almost-scent, an odor that could only be detected with magic, it felt vile and saturated in what could only be described as the cold feeling of death.

Charlotte blinked back tears; barely registering that Kitty had grabbed Maddie protectively and was hissing at the vile turn of air.

"Goddess that is vile." The witch choked.

Maddie looked around in alarm, even Earl Grey and Nevermore were acting strangely, all hunched in on themselves and watching the forest warily, as if there was a predator nearby. "What's going on with you guy's?" She asked in perfect human standard.

"Something vile is in the air." Kitty spat. "Something that hunts for sport, it's covered in death and bathed in blood."

"I agree with Miss Cheshire's assessment." Charlotte gasped. "Something bad has just been let loose."

The Wonderlandian girls tensed considerably. "You don't think…" Maddie whispered horrified.

The two looked at each other worriedly for the next few tense, long minutes as Charlotte tried to collect herself without losing the contents of her stomach, which took a while. Both Maddie and Kitty reaching for their mirrorphones when they chimed indicating a message from Blondie's mirrorcast had just been released.

While those two were busy, Charlotte's mirrorphone chimed a the ringtone indicating that it was a call, she accepted the call and came face to screen with her worried, glowing cousin who was firing a hundred questions a minute.

"Yes we're ok. I'm with Miss Cheshire and Hatter in the woods. It's a long story. What is going on at your end?" The witch huffed out slowly acclimating to the dark tinge in the air it still felt totally vile though.

At that Faybelle's face seemed to relax a fraction. "I'm in the village shopping with Briar, we were about to grab a bite to eat, I was flirting with Raven when this… happened. Raven has… wisely asked that Blondie make an announcement telling everyone that there seems to have been some sort of rotten magical leakage, or some other bullshit that'll get the non-magical people to gather away from campus in a mostly calm fashion… but none of the magic users, or animal kin are fully believing it, though the ones that I've come across seem to at least have enough brains to understand the importance of keeping everybody calm… Charlotte you're with Cheshire yes? Make her blink you over to the _Magic Tree Stump_ right now you hear me?" The fairy ordered with just a slight hint of hysteria in her voice.

"Yeah I hear you." Charlotte caught eyes with the two other girls who had been half listening to Blondie's calm announcement and her discussion with her cousin. "I hear you loud and clear."

The words didn't have to be voiced, just like the hanging stench of this new, vile magic; the unheard yet universally understood phrase was like an all-encompassing presence, a knowledge that made Charlotte's lizard brain want to get rid of the contents of her belly in order to flee all the faster on a lighter stomach.

_**The Evil Queen has escaped**_.

XXX

The average afternoon at Ever After High seemed to lazily roll on by; Raven had taken up Ashlynn's offer to swing by for an afternoon coffee at one of the barista shops in the village. It was still early enough that only a few people occupied the quaint little coffee shop named the Magic Tree Stump, later on there was supposed to be a Rebel meeting, Raven wondered whether she should continue to give Apple space and attend or to call up the blonde for their monthly walk around the school.

It had been a while since the two of them last spoke and Raven… missed Apple. Terribly.

She knew that it would be difficult, now that her feelings were out in the open and it had been made clear that such a romantic possibility could not happen (not that Raven was under any delusion that it could happen) that Apple could not explore the possibility of the two of them being selectively together due to her fairytale… and her obligations.

Moving on should have been… a little easier, sure it would still be difficult but…

But Apple had made things entirely too complicated, sure for the first few days it had felt like a giant weight had been lifted from her chest because now she didn't have to hide her feelings from Apple and aside from the whole True Love fiasco she had literally no secrets left to hide from the other girl.

But whenever Raven found herself alone she would remember that night where Apple had said that she didn't mind the thought of Raven becoming her second wife.

She remembered how Apple had blushed and mused with unusual confidence in such matters how she might've taken Raven up on her conditions and let Raven take care of her wiles. There had been no disgust or fear on her face, not in the same way she had when she talked about those particular optional duties to Daring.

Raven asked herself; if Apple had acknowledged Raven's terms, asked her to become her second wife, to be apart of her fairytale in some way… would she have accepted?

Rave honestly didn't know, but she did know that if Apple had kept up that offer even after she found out the true scope of Raven's feelings… maybe.

And that maybe was the reason why Raven had to get over Apple, Raven would've been made content with the princess's offer maybe eventually they could grow some form of happiness… but to be truly, blissfully happy? No.

Raven would've been the consort, the concubine, the second wife (if she was lucky) that probably would have to grit her teeth and keep silent if Apple ever felt guilty about not giving Daring wifely attentions and go off to spend the night in his bed (although when Raven had confessed some of the gritty details of that night she had confessed to Apple on the prince's request Daring seemed to have strongly hinted that he, like Raven, was very monogamous and was far better raised than to sleep with somebody else's girl, even if that girl was also married to him). And there was also the foreboding thought that Apple might try to arrange Raven a human girl from the White family court to become the witch's consort.

In witch cultures and in her father's home kingdom Raven's position would be viewed in high esteem… but to a traditional human kingdom? She'd be second fiddle and that is if she were recognized as Apple's wife at all (most likely she'd be seen as a prostitute with a lot of pull), such a union would bring unrest between the two kingdoms and one witch state because one of them would have a violent freak-out and the other two would be wondering why the hell was there so much fuss being brought over the crazy lives of royals. It would take ages to merge the three together!

To Raven's knowledge consort in Apple's kingdom was considered the same thing as a prostitute, harem wife, or handmaiden was in witch cultures, the girl that Apple chose to be Raven's consort would no doubt be received in Raven's combined kingdom and witch state with all the pomp and circumstance of a true queen, as in _Raven's_ true queen, depending on the circumstances Apple (being as loved and as good at manipulating the masses as she was) might be promoted by the witch's global council to become the mighty human Empress (Apple) Snow White and along with the title change would come uniquely witch customs that would no doubt send the White kingdom into an uproar (i.e.: harem gifts, exotic treasures, exotic animals, an influx of immigrants such as monks, nuns, and all sorts of holy people from all sorts of witch religions waltzing in to set up shop for when the average magic-user citizens move in at the prospect of a better life from such a large and profitable domain).

Daring would've been dubbed Apple's queen by Raven's lands (something he was sure not to appreciate very much) and the constant third wheel, the literal odd man out between the two female's friendship and… potential, hypothetical other activities. No doubt utterly petrified of Guado and becoming the first Charming king of the White family in history to be living in fear of his own servant. No doubt his Charming abilities would be put to the constant test, having to learn about all of the new and diverse witch customs and would probably have to drop most of his usual kingly duties onto Apple and help Raven figure out a system (that would constantly change and need twenty-four hour supervision) to merge the Queen, King, and White lands together in a way that did not bring down the government.

In short the White kingdom section of Apple, Raven, and Daring's fully merged kingdom, with its very human customs, would be culture shocked out of their minds.

That is if he didn't runaway and leave Raven to awkwardly have to explain to Apple why it was _her kiss_, and not Daring's that woke her up…

Come to think of it… that just might be exactly what the prince was planning to do! And because he had so many witch houses (including her own) offering him asylum no one could do a thing to drag him over to Apple's unconscious body!

At Raven's odd expression Ashlynn asked what Raven had been thinking about, to which the witch told her about Daring's potential plan and Raven's musing of how chaotic being married to Apple and Daring would have been (she did not mention her confused thoughts on exactly what Apple had been thinking with her ridiculous proposal).

Ashlynn nearly fell out of her seat she was laughing so hard.

"Is it really that funny?" Raven asked when the other girl calmed down.

"A lot… of it… is _just hilarious_!" Ashlynn wheezed, tears of mirth streamed from her eyes. "I know for a fact that is _exactly_ what Daring would do, and three monarchs would truly be utter chaos and I am so glad that I don't have to deal with kingdom politics when I graduate! Hehehe!" The princess laughed in glee.

She gulped a few precious breathes of air. "But you know what is the most hilarious?" Ashlynn grinned at Raven like a loon. "I know the type of girl that Apple would set you up with and I have met the one most likely to be given to you before, she's so shy and delicate that I bet being named your queen by your people would cause her to fall into a dead faint!" The princess howled.

"Who would fall into a dead faint?" Briar, who had walked in with Faybelle approached their table.

Ashlynn explained their previous conversation topic and soon the two princesses were laughing helplessly.

While the two princesses giggled to themselves the witch and fairy watched the two of them warily. "A human empress to a witch kingdom." Faybelle said with a hint of nausea "Ancestors help us all if that ever happens."

"I'm sure that Apple could adapt." Raven defended, rather gently because given the princess's past misunderstandings it really was a daunting prospect.

"It would be easier to simply merge your lands with another witch's or fairy's." Faybelle pointed out. "You would be treated with lots more respect too."

"There are a few human realms and families offering their daughters to me, so maybe some of them are willing to take that risk?" Raven wondered. "We _are_ out of the time period where the humans give their daughters away to the scary magic-user in exchange for wealth and prosperity right? I mean it is well known that whatever girl I marry will become my queen."

"Those times where that kind of trade was acceptable is far over on our end." Faybelle levitated over a seat for her to sit dangerously close to Raven's personal bubble. "But for humans? Just last week some idiot human farmer came into the Thorn territory and demanded that we give back his son, in reality his wife had given birth to an adorable, _fully human_, little hermaphrodite and instantly believed that we had switched out his child with a changeling."

Raven's eyes widened. "Is the child alright?"

Faybelle put a comforting hand on Raven's and scooted purposefully closer. "Fortunately my mother does not waste her time with fools so she spirited the child away, put the fool to sleep, and called the proper authorities. The babe is currently under our care while the humans sort out whether or not the mother is of enough sound mind to raise the child. If not then by fairy laws the child will be taken into the fold, taught academic magics as zhe grows, and adopted as one of us of the fae kind."

The fairy subtly flutters her lashes and strokes soothing circles into Raven's fleshy palm, she smiled kindly, just enough that Raven missed the way her sharp little teeth glinted in the afternoon light or how the fairy was drawing ever closer. "The humans who are not accustomed to us have been wary but there is little to fear for the child's safety, the fae are very fond of humans in their larvae stage of development after all."

Raven seemed to melt slightly at the tale, her eyes completely fixed of Faybelle.

"Order for table six!"

That is until the barista opened his mouth.

The witch blushed and excused herself to retrieve and pay for her and Ashlynn's sandwiches.

Ashlynn and Briar stared at the fairy with equal unimpressed looks.

"What? It's a good story!" Faybelle defended mentally planning that particular boy's ill fate.

"That happened four years ago. In the _Goodfairy's _clan territory. Your mother was only brought into the situation because she had just happened to be around on an errand and the only thing she did was subdue that farmer." Briar pointed out dryly.

"Details, details." Faybelle waved off.

"Isn't it a bit early to try and seduce her?" Ashlynn asked with a quirk in her brow.

"Not for a kin of the Thorn clan." Faybelle stated unapologetically. "Many of our mates have even been stolen out of the arms of longstanding love affairs."

"And by love affairs you mean marriages."Ashlynn guessed.

"Ah but it twas of their own free will. If they truly loved their others then they would not have been swayed by the Thorn clan's charms." Faybelle gifted the two with a smug little smirk.

"You're going to drive Apple absolutely bananas aren't you…?" Briar was still unimpressed.

Faybelle merely smirked wider, showing off her sharp teeth.

"You can keep the change." They can hear Raven informing the cashier in the background, cueing the three females to stop talking though that did not stop the princesses from giving Faybelle chilled exasperated looks, and because Faybelle always makes it a point to be as much of a pain in the ass as possible the fairy responds with a mischievous waggle of her eyebrows.

But before Raven can move to pick up her and Ashlynn's trays a magical wave of something strong and horrendously familiar hits her core magical senses with enough violent force to knock her down to the floor.

The air is stagnate with magic imprinted with the remnants of pain and death, when a life is taken with a direct act of magic the echo of what is left of that soul can take weeks to fade away from the taste of the magic user's power, however if the magic user absorbed the life force of their victim directly into their power core for a forced boost of energy the stench permeated into the very fabric of the magic and never could be scrubbed away.

Raven gulped for breath as her magic flared up instinctually, too many stains of death, too many echoes of pain and fear and pleads for mercy, even through the protections of her magic surrounding her, the violating feeling of the empty shells of all of those souls thudded against her shields like grease being slung at a windshield.

The witch could hear her own heartbeat thudding in her ears; it was the only thing that she could hear at the moment, the world around her seemed to go impossibly on despite the heart piercing terror in the air.

Ashlynn looked on in horror as Faybelle glowed and clutched her head in pain, no doubt her fairy heritage and natural sensitivity towards the energies from the other side of the mortal veil was making things inside her mind utterly unbearable, Briar was curled on the floor clutching her stomach like Raven was, the air around about five feet of her body swirled around her in disturbance, not unlike seeing heat rising from a hot pavement, only instead of moving upwards the airflow was rolling in all directions. Hopper leaped out of the magical cloud that usually accompanied his transformation into frog form from the secluded corner of the establishment, and landed on the nearest place where his animal instincts felt safest, which just happened to be Raven's head.

The witch aided the boy to crawl into a more secure position in her arms as she sat up, despite seeming to relax considerably within her magical field Raven could still feel the amphibian's heart beat at an alarming rate in her palm and his tiny body wracked with shivers.

She looked in the direction that the boy had jumped out from, opposite from the fairy, and princesses.

Here eyes landed on Cupid boldly standing in front of a toppled table, one wing fully unfurled the other curled around her side, eyes glowing, teeth bared, looking far less like a human and far more like a vengeful goddess Raven had only ever seen from stone statues, tasting the barest hints of blood in the air and instinctually searching for the source of the waves of human emotion, the heartbreak and bitterness.

A flutter of movement reveals that the winged girl has plastered Blondie to her side, not only holding her with both arms but also tucking the alarmed blonde girl protectively under her wing.

Raven turns her head to the front entrance where Duchess Swan is in the throws of a fear filled fit, Sparrow Hood is beside her trying to calm her down while trying not to get his fingers bit off or his legs broken by the dancer's strong kicks and struggles that are equal parts ballerina in strength and swan in meanness, her bird-like screams sound muted and muffled behind Raven's ringing ears and loud heartbeat.

Raven knows that the boy is asking for several broken bones, knows that Duchess will injure herself if she does not calm down or becomes restrained. She doesn't think, her long numbed witch's intuition works for her, getting Raven to her feet, extending one free arm, and letting her magic reach.

In a blink the flailing girl is surrounded by a white and blue magical aura, almost instantly calming her.

Raven turns her head in surprise to Faybelle who has her arm extended towards her friend as well and is now lurching towards Raven, the look in her eyes is equal parts worried and fae-filled wrath.

Duchess shoots towards them, meeting them in the middle, falling to her knees, and throwing her arms around both the fairy's and witch's waists making the two magic-users bump shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip.

The look Faybelle sees on her face must be something that betrays all of Raven's fears of whose magic this belongs to because the fairy actually winces and something very dangerously close to pity crosses her face as she wipes away the tears that Raven hadn't been aware that she was crying.

The look of almost pity morphed into a stunned sort of horror when Faybelle glanced down to see that the neck part of Raven's tunic and the right strap to her bra had ripped open revealing a large portion of her shoulder, back, and front.

Raven glanced down too, seeing that the only thing preventing her right breast from being exposed was the efforts of Hopper's tiny little front feet holding the cloth up.

But nearly flashing herself in a public, place was not what was troubling the witch, what was troubling the witch was that she suddenly felt a lot of eyes settling on her now exposed scars now that people were cautiously standing up and looking around.

"-did that happen?" Faybelle's whispered voice swam into clarity. The world seemed to still despite the sounds of panic outside and Duchess's hysterical sobbing into her middle.

"I think that you have a pretty good idea of who is capable of doing this." Raven replied hoarsely, choosing not to acknowledge that the fairy had not asked who but what, or the fact that Raven was also mentioning the identity to this vile magic's owner.

"Dude, holy shit." Sparrow whispered horrified, looking like he had been in mid-demand to know what was going on when he had spied Raven's wardrobe malfunction.

"Oh dear." Hopper whimpered placing his webbed paws over his mouth when Faybelle, in an uncharacteristic gesture of kindness, took the torn open edges of Raven's shirt and held them closed using her magic.

Raven exhaled heavily, she could worry about her shirt later, right now she needed to focus on the larger crisis at hand.

"Alright." The witch addressed the room and the growing crowd around her, using the fact that everyone had momentarily focused onto her and her state of undress to her advantage. "My magical senses are a little bit numb right now but to any magic-user in the room: can you agree that whatever just hit us came in the direction of the campus?"

There were several sharp nods and timid voices of agreement.

"And as far as I can see non-magic-users seem to be unaffected, does anybody here have a case to contradict this?"

People shook their heads mumbling worriedly to one another.

"Good." Raven huffed. "I ask that anybody who is not affected by this foreign magic to please help those who are affected, same goes to magic-users who can shield the magic sensitive using their own powers, and to please calmly lead them away in the opposite direction from the campus until this stops hurting them. Blondie if you can please make an emergency mirror cast, and tell everybody to round up their friends and calmly head in a large group away from the campus, don't bother taking much with you, just go."

Blondie wiggled her way out of Cupid's wing, blowing feathers out of her mouth as she did so. "But where would we go?" She asked holding up her mirrorpad a little more, having started recording when Raven began addressing the crowd.

"Take them across Legends River." Briar huffed, being supported by Ashlynn as the two moved closer. "The… stench won't follow us across purified running spring water."

The dead could not cross streams was the unvoiced answer that every magic-user in the room understood with an uneasy glance at one another.

"But what is going on?" Sparrow demanded anew. "Why is all of this happening?"

The crowd shivered on the verge of panic.

"Ever After High was built by humans during the great burning times." Ashlynn moved to stand in front of Sparrow, daring him to begin a panic. "It is only reasonable to assume that eventually something leftover and buried from that time would make itself known." She coolly moved over to Raven's left grabbing some clothing pins from her purse (a princess was always prepared) and moved a little behind Raven to start pinning closed her ripped shirt.

"That still doesn't explain what this "foreign magic" stuff is though." The boy grouched stubbornly unwilling to be phased.

"Magic waste pit." Briar spoke with confidence, standing next to Faybelle. "It's part of the reason why there is normally so much uncontained magic at Ever After, in the burning times the humans would take a magical relic or the corpse of an executed magic-user and throw them all into a deep underground pit, the one at Ever After was legendary for being the deepest of all existing magic waste pits before it was halfway filled in with dirt, the top half of that pit became the library archives later on. Most-likely… a crack has probably formed in the school's foundation setting free this… stench."

Sparrow's mouth opened, his body language indicating that he was not going to let things be, was going to let his panic turn to anger.

"It is very important that we try to keep people from starting a stampede or work themselves into a fit, injuries, even life threatening accidents could occur." Raven cut him off firmly. "Right now we need to focus our efforts in calmly leading people across the river and taking the pain away."

The boy was slightly mollified by this, the fire in his eyes completely doused when Duchess started to sob; "It hurts! It hurts so much! Make it sto-op!"

"Have you mastered any academic spells to calm animals down?" Raven asked the now silent boy.

"Since the sixth grade." Sparrow admitted soberly.

"Get out there and start playing." The witch ordered. "And could somebody try to get ahold of Melody Piper and ask her to do the same thing? We'll be needing some extra protection just incase the wild animals around the area start a stampede."

Sparrow nodded, patting Duchess comfortingly on the head before nodding to his Merry Men and exiting the building.

"Does everyone understand their responsibilities?" Briar asked the remaining group.

When she received some timid nods she dismissed the crowd and everyone who was not rolling on the floor in pain set to work.

"I need to find Apple." Raven Realized, worry setting in. "Ashlynn, relay to Hunter that you and he are in charge until Apple and I meet up with the group across the river."

"You can't seriously be considering going out there in all of this?" Faybelle hissed lowly, not wanting to frighten Duchess anymore than she already was.

"My powers are strongest when Apple is by my side, plus she is the future queen, if anybody can keep a whole mass of panicked students in line while I try to contact the Headmaster and Giles it's her. And besides…" Raven hesitated. "I need to make sure that she's protected… that nothing hurts her."

_That my mother doesn't try to kill her._ Raven conveys with her tearing eyes, Faybelle sees it, is under no illusion that Ashlynn and Briar had just created one big cover story to keep the masses from freaking out.

She knew from her history tutors back home that there had never been a magical waste pit at Ever After castle, that it had been built by fairies and other fae-folk as a home base against the great evil that started all of this fairytale business.

As she hears Blondie round up her crew and start getting ready to broadcast (were they all having an afternoon meeting?) she desperately hoped that those who actually knew their history would heed Raven's plea to keep everybody calm and keep quiet about it.

A rush of air and a blink later found a panicked Cerise with her arms around Briar.

"Are you alright?" The girl asked to the princess's wide-eyed face.

In fact everyone within their little huddled group (save for Duchess who was long gone somewhere in her frightened bird instincts which were screaming at her that if she let go or moved her head she would be devoured alive) were staring in wide-eyed shock before Raven flicked her wrist to magic Cerise's hood back over her head, concealing her wolf ears.

"Ah! My hood!" The girl hissed turning away, panic overcoming her.

That's when Briar stepped forwards to hug a shaking Cerise from behind. "I like your ears, I think that they're cute.

"My family…" Cerise breathed horrified, huddling into the girl's arms.

"You can seek safe asylum in my clan kingdom and lands." Both Briar and Raven spoke at once, the mage princess mule kicked Faybelle and gave the fairy a pointed look.

"Ow! What? Oh like she'd ever willingly set a foot in Thorn territory." Faybelle scolded.

"Like you'd let me in the first place!" The ousted wolf-child barked. "It would be just like you to tell!"

"Oh please." Faybelle rolled her eyes. "You make it sound like your heritage was some big secret, here's a little known fact puppy; fairies can sense when an animal is nearby, it's how we have evolved to be able to tell the difference between another camouflaged fae, a natural animal predator, or a bumbling human."

"You knew?" Cerise choked.

"You aren't the only one around here with a scandalous forbidden heritage. And your not the only one that we fairies know about, we are _good_ at finding out secrets you see, but fortunately for you we find it just too easy to out you all on it, rather we prefer to just sit back and laugh at how you humans or half humans go around trying to hide it." The fairy replied dryly.

Cerise blinked at the fairy, totally stunned.

Faybelle huffed, acting like the other girl was being overly dramatic about the issue. "Wanna know a few other not-so-secrets? Apple and Daring? Actually first cousins, their grandparents had a heated and illicit affair, by the way if you ever don't want to be watched while you do the do, make sure that you aren't going at it in the middle of some fairy's territory. Our resident Queen Charming, the mother of Ever After's favorite Charming siblings, is actually about a quarter succubus, I know this because not only can I sense it off of her from a mile away, but one of my mother's good friends has been boasting about that score, and how she conned the human into taking in that Halfling to muddy up the blood for that royal line for _years_. Billy is actually half wild non-anthropomorphic mountain goat, which is a big deal amongst the anthropomorphic goat community. And your girl right there." She points her chin to Briar. "As you have already guessed is a mage."

"Wow." Ashlynn muttered. "And here I was told that her father was part of a clan of assassins that could run really fast."

"Bad magic. Crisis. Need to find Apple." Raven broke everyone out of their horrified stupor (she made a note to encourage Daring to seek asylum because... ew).

"I'll go with you." Cerise volunteered without hesitation, right now she needed to focus on something else. Like how her secret wasn't really all that secret, it was very… disturbing.

"And I'm going too." Briar declared. "Between the three of us we should be fine."

"Well while you idiots are going out on a fool's errand, I'll be contacting my cousin." Faybelle made a face as Raven extracted herself from the clinging Duchess and settled a shell-shocked Hopper on her shoulder; the fairy moved the amphibian to Duchess's head, the girl far too gone to care.

"Wait!" cried a voice stopping the three exiting girls. Darling approached them. "My brothers and I were supposed to be meeting up today but Daring had been running late." She cast a glance to Dexter who was guiltily looking out the front windows while trying to open a network-wide signal from the little bit of tech that Humphrey had brought with him. "I called him to tell him what's going on… he's still back at the campus so if you happen to run into him…"

"We'll get him to you." Raven promised.

The girl nodded turning back to a fairy who was hugging a waste bin with a pained sickly look on her face.

"Let's go." Raven marched out the door, glowing in determination.

XXX

Always start where you left off, if you started your campaign to reshape the world in Wonderland (before getting rudely interrupted) then it was best to finish you started work with the spawn in tow.

Problem was the quarantine, one of the last acts the brothers did together before their little falling out, they had to at least leave one portal open to let the wonder in, but it was hardly likely that they'd choose blasted portal that allowed easy access. They just had to have chosen the thrice damned well! She could sense the damn thing popping in and out of existence in random places on campus.

Swooping over buildings the black smoke form of the Evil Queen passed by the girl's dorm balconies, searching… searching….

The Queen of Hearts was one of the very first to send her spawn away, the Evil Queen knew this, she had idly considered going after the wailing child but forwent that little pleasure to get an early start at hiding the Book.

The Book which was now missing.

But for the moment she was after a different book, a map that would pinpoint the exact location of the well, there was no way that the Queen of Hearts would've allowed her child to leave without it.

That child would be the spawn's age by now, no doubt enrolled at this very school… there!

The doors from the balcony were locked tight, with, she sensed, high quality protections that only a Wonderlandian queen could afford to smuggle in, there was little doubt that the heir to the Heart tribe lived here, it was painfully obvious by the Wonderlandian décor and all the royal hearts.

How tacky.

Breaking in from the outside would be too obvious, all it would take was for someone to glance up and see a nude woman hexing away the wonderlandian magic protections on the balcony, and there was too much open space, there would be a good chance that the little brat would use all this open space to get away and sound the alarm, she needed the element of surprise.

And besides should she come across any straggling brats… well the enclosed halls provided excellent privacy and forced the prey to run in a straight line and the more power absorbed into her core magic the merrier.

She flew in on the floor's public open balcony, pausing a moment to once again revel in the sun's warm rays on her pale skin.

The hallway appeared empty; no one else came by as she padded along the familiar corridor at a sedated pace, her bare feet not even making a sound, muted by the plush red carpet.

Pity.

The front door the dorm wasn't even locked.

_How dull_ the Evil Queen thought slipping in and closing the door softly behind her.

The warm afternoon light filtered in the large open windows, what appeared to be a large cluster of dust floated lazily in one of the beams of light.

_One_ beam of light had an unusually large amount of dust; the rest barely had any, the head maid who oversaw the care of the cleaning and maintenance of the girl's dorm would have had somebody's head if there was any more dust than necessary in her domain.

The apparent dust particles grew in size revealing them to actually be tiny bits of purple energy, within a few seconds they continued to grow and fuse together and change colors in some areas until they formed an image of a translucent young woman wearing a blue and black dress that perhaps had once been the height of fashion from over half a century ago, her skin was as pale as porcelain, her hair like black silk save for several wavy strips of crimson red hair cutting through the black, her body was surrounded in a weakened but visible purple magical aura, and she was missing her left forearm.

The ghostly apparition turned intermittingly towards a little corner in a wall pillar, and the ceiling chandeliers, desperately signaling the five terrified individuals hiding for their lives to stay silent, stay put, don't move, don't speak, stay still, stay still, _stay still_!

XXX

_Quiet, still, they had to stay so, so still, not a move, not a sound!_

They had just been getting ready to leave the dorm, Cedar and Lizzie had ran into Tiffany carrying her trembling coffee golem pet, Pico Paco, and holding the hand of one Edward Spider who seemed to be acting more spider-like than boy with the way he made buggy clicking sounds and kept hopping lightly on his toes instinctually trying to feel any vibrations from the stone floor.

Cedar was not any better off, a wooden being given life through magic she seemed to become far more wooden in personality, and her usual healthy body material seemed to look more sunken in, tired, stiff in response to the negative magic, like a tree going into hibernation during the winter time or protecting itself from a natural disaster.

It had started when Edward and Pico Paco both tensed and before Tiffany knew what was going on the spider boy picked her up and skittered them both up the wall and hid the three of them in a well-decorated chandelier, one of his six hands kept hold over the girl's mouth.

Lizzie ad been about to voice her confusion when her quiet and stiffly moving companion suddenly leaped forwards, grabbed Lizzie, muffled her confused screams with her hand, and used both her strength and puppet strings to drag the girl into a hidden alcove in the hallway. Something that she had discovered while ducking intrusive questioners for the first two or so months after Raven's magic had changed color.

"Stay quiet, she's coming, she says that the Evil Queen is coming." Cedar had whispered urgently into Lizzie's ear.

That's when Lizzie saw the apparition; saw the ghostly woman waving, and gesturing wildly at the two girls in the walled pillar and the three others towards the ceiling to stay quiet before disappearing.

Princess training had taught Lizzie to scream helplessly and faint attractively in a situation like this.

Wonderlandian instinct and pride on the other hand had the future Queen of Hearts becoming perfectly still, like a warrior in enemy territory she tried to become one with Cedar and the stone surrounding her. Waiting for whatever came next.

She first smelled the tang of blood then saw the shadowed bloodied hair tentacles before her eyes settled onto the naked woman they were attached to, calmly walking down the hall, as if she owned the place.

The naked woman whose face had been burned into her brain since childhood, the face of a monster willing to kill millions, the face of the Evil Queen.

She kept perfectly still even as the monster slipped into her dorm and her inner voice screamed bloody murder, the apparition appeared again, motioning them all to stay quiet and still.

Lizzie didn't have to be told twice on that one.

Time seemed to creep alone at a snails pace, the hiding teens waiting with bated breath for something, anything to happen.

The ghostly woman disappears again and the Evil Queen finally slips out the door, wearing one of Duchess's loose silk white nightgowns, which had been left badly stained by the blood and the inky smoke making up the woman's hair, in her arms she carried a map in disguise of a book.

The Evil Queen chuckled darkly to herself as she sauntered away.

A moment, two more, the ghost woman did not return but Edward had deemed it safe to leap down, holding Tiffany princess style in his arms and clicking frantically.

"She's got the map!" Lizzie exclaimed in a loud whisper bolting out of her hiding place and staring down the hall in horror, she could see little drops of blood on the floor that the woman had left in her wake. "She's got the map leading to the well, the last portal left open to Wonderland!"

"Raven…" Cedar said slowly, back to her half hibernated state and walking stiffly out of the hiding spot in the pillar.

"I'll call her." Lizzie assured. "Then I'll call Kitty, her powers allow her to contact her mother in Wonderland anytime she wants, she can warn them to get ready for battle, hopefully we can catch her off guard…"

"Who was that ghost lady?" Tiffany wondered softly.

"The Evil Queen has slain many." Lizzie informed getting out her mirror phone, as an after thought she decided to set her ringtone to silent and low buzz just incase she had to hide again. "It is little surprise that there is at least one ghost following her around, warning other potential victims, set you phones on quiet vibrate, we don't know if we have to hide again, and before you three go there is a trunk in my room at the foot of my bed filled with concealed weapons, take one you feel the most comfortable using and then go. Make your way across the river, but _do not _tell _anybody_ about this, we don't want to start a stampede."

Edward nodded though he did not seem pleased to have to go into the same place the scary predator had just been in, gingerly moved on his feet, carrying Tiffany with him into the dorm.

As she dialed Lizzie mentally steeled her nerves, cleansed her mind free of all fears, and focused on the next strategy at hand.

They were going to war.


	15. The one with the horrors

Author's note (skip if you want this'll be short):

Thanks for the reviews! Because of this being the first time I have ever attempted writing a serious/action/horror thing for this many pages I predictably had some writer's block going on more than usual, but I am happy to say that it is because of your guy's helpful reviews that I have been able to finish this chapter

Thank You so much!

I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as much as you have the other ones (my ancestors how has this fic gotten to be so long? I've never written this many pages for a story in my life)!

XXX

The one with the horrors

XXX

As a place filled to the brim with magics of several kinds lazily floating about many different species of creatures that liked to surround themselves with excess magic made their homes at Ever After high.

The library being the center and foundation of the school unsurprisingly housed the most magic based life forms.

Milton groaned from his position on the floor, why he was on the floor in the first place he couldn't quite remember at the moment but then again he didn't much care because right now his hip and leg felt like they were on fire.

"Good your awake." Milton recognized his brother's relieved voice, Giles sounded close by, no doubt he was leaning over his fallen brother.

The larger man cracked open his eyes and surveyed the surrounding area of Giles's office (for some reason the man insisted that his office be in the bottom part of the library, if Milton didn't know better he'd say that Giles actually liked the place for some unfathomable reason). Everything was bathed in a glowing yellowish hue making the normally cavernous area look like it was bathed in sunlight. The final effect did look rather cheery; maybe if his brother redecorated to make his office look permanently more cheery then maybe the students (save Raven Queen, Madeline Hatter, and oddly enough Tiffany Muffet) wouldn't be so nervous about going to the man's office…

"The students!" Milton realized with a start trying to move from his uncomfortable position on the floor.

Thin yet surprisingly strong arms moved to assist him. "Save your strength, we're going to be stuck in here for a while." Giles pointed his chin to the door, which had a light yellow sheen over the opening. "The magical creatures who haven't fled are sitting tight here, they've sealed the exits with protective spells trapping us in here with them. The only reason why we can't sense what's going on right now is because they have created a protective shield of magic so strong that it's filled this entire room." The smaller man pointed out gently.

"We have to try!" The Headmaster cried. "I remember feeling _her_ magical signature before I blacked out and if we don't get out of here how can we save-" he choked on his words, eyes blinking back tears. "If we can't get out of here how can we save those that are left?" He tried to struggle to his feet despite the pain shooting up his leg, he barely managed on his own but then his joints buckled and Giles had to help him back to the floor.

"Raven Queen and her Rebels have taken care of that already." Giles informed once his brother was seated somewhat comfortably on the floor.

"What?" Milton gasped looking at his brother in confusion.

Giles retrieves his personal mirrorphone (something that he often played with for hours but somehow never really understood the device past the most basic functions) "Just watch." He instructed.

The headmaster's eyes widened at the slightly shaky recording of none other than Raven Queen in her torn shirt and glowing glory, looking like an all knowing leader despite her disheveled appearance, calmly instructing the crowded room she was in on what to do and Miss Ella and Miss Beauty informing everyone on what was going on (it was an obviously fake cover story but without anything else to go on people appeared to be desperate enough to believe it).

Miss Lockes looking disheveled (and covered in feathers) herself came onto screen with Cupid standing just behind her looking every bit like the god she was to become. The Blonde reporter informing people to remain calm and stoically repeating where people were to go and to help out as many people as possible.

"Thank the ancestors." Milton breathed holding one hand to his fast beating heart. There was hope that because of Miss Queen's actions the number of potential casualties had just dropped significantly.

After a moment of quiet the man thought of something. "Was that Mister Croakington holding up her tunic?" The Headmaster rewound the message and squinted at the screen.

Giles raised a brow. "We face potential Armageddon by the hands of a mad woman and you are worried about a wardrobe malfunction?"

"Her scars are visible." Milton explained sounding very emotional. "Visible for the whole of the mirrornet. You said that she had always been careful to wear the glamor potion, taken substitution courses in place of physical education and swimming classes…"

"I think that she has more important things on her mind right now." Giles assured with a sigh.

"We should call somebody-" Milton began but Giles shook his head.

"Tried to contact the staff, my guess is that at best they were either knocked out just like we were or had started spring break early and aren't here right now." He did not have to elaborate what the _at worst_ situation may be. "At any rate the connection fizzled out soon after Miss Locke's emergency message, I believe that just outside that door the sprites have started building a metal web acting as a faraday cage."

"So we're stuck down here?" The Headmaster asked not sounding thrilled at the prospect.

"Trust in our students to call for help and get everyone to safety Milton." Giles sighed. "Until somebody finds us it is the only thing we can hope for."

"And of Raven Queen?" Milton asks worried. "What if she tries to activate the quarantine protocols all by herself?"

Giles hums acknowledging that he had already thought about this.

"Raven is strongest with Miss White, and Miss White will not allow for Raven to go alone or to go at all… but if they do come they will try to find us." Giles looks around his office, an idea coming to mind. "In the mean time lets make it easier for them to locate our position…"

XXX

Raven cursed her numbed senses for a few heart-stopping seconds when she stepped out into the street and realized that without even trying between the putrid overpowering presence of the Evil Queen's power in the air and the protective magical glow of about seven dozen magic users within the village dotting the landscape with little spots of relief, might make finding Apple with her magic next to impossible.

She gives it a try anyways, looking deep within and reaching, praying, _begging_ to feel even just a little nudge of where Apple might be.

It feels a little like a thread, a channel, and a portal all wrapped into one, the bond seemed to twitch much to the witch's immense shock before awakening with a force that makes it feel as though Raven is glowing with magic from her marrow all the way to the heavens, the shear amount of power coursing through the witch makes the affected breath sobbing sighs of momentary relief and the non-effected pause to stare wide-eyed at the brightly glowing girl.

"Apple." The witch whispers and that is the only warning her companions get before Raven turns toward the direction of the campus and uses her magic to propel her up into the air, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, and outright running as fast as her legs could carry her when there was just open terrain.

The princess was on the lawn near the school, she leaned heavily against a decorative tree obviously affected by the sudden onslaught of the Evil Queen's magic despite Raven's magic protectively surrounding her.

"Apple!"

Apple perked up at the familiar voice calling her name, crying out in relief when she saw Raven leap towards her from the top of a tall lawn sculpture.

The princess stumbled forwards, nearly falling down at one point but by then Raven had reached her and gathered the princess into an all encompassing hug, the witch feeding more magic into Apple's side of their link until the princess couldn't feel the horrible churn in the air making her nearly collapse from relief.

The two stood held in each other's arms for a long while, relishing the fact that they could touch and both relieved by the fact that for the moment the other was safe.

"Your shirt." Apple mumbled into the witch's neck, fingering the safety pins.

"Tore on a counter when I was paying for food and all this madness happened." Raven explained. "Ashlynn helped make me decent again."

"In public? That must have been embarrassing." Apple cooed sympathetically rubbing soothing circles into the other's shoulder.

"The scars distracted them from my bust for the most part." Raven chuckled weakly. "It actually proved useful in getting everyone's attention and having them stay calm enough to instruct them to help get people to safety."

"Raven do you know what's going on? I heard Blondie's emergency mirrorcast but… I know that there was never a magical waste pit at Ever After High." Apple whispered, burying her face into the other's collarbone.

"Yes." Raven admitted looking around in order to make sure that there weren't any easily terrified ears around that could pick up their conversation. "We are only spinning that story so that we don't have a whole bunch of people freaking out and making the situation worse, but before I tell you what is really going on can you see-?"

The high pitched squeal was the first thing the two heard before Cerise appeared, Briar in one arm and a horrified Daring in the other.

"I don't think that I'll ever get used to that." The boy squeaked, wiggling himself free on shaking feet.

"Good you've found him." Raven let out a relieved breath. "Your sister and brother were worried sick, send them a hext if you can." She informed the prince who sighed knowingly; he had been calmly walking down one of the school's deserted halls after he had collected his brother's make-up work for the days that Dexter had missed class (Dexter had said that something very angry had fallen on him making his previous injuries worse and held him up in the school infirmary for nearly two days but he refused to say exactly what had fallen on him citing that as a Charming the incident was far too embarrassing) when he had gotten the panicked call from his sister and the emergency announcement from Blondie's show.

"I'll do that right now." The boy nodded taking out his phone.

"So." He commented while typing swiftly. "If you happen to know, do you mind telling me what's really going on? I promise not to panic or do anything so obvious that will tip off the masses into a riot."

Raven winced. "Was our real intentions really that obvious?"

"Royalty are trained to handle emergency situations." Daring assured setting his phone on silent before putting it away. "All I know is that whole cover story about a leak from a magical waste pit was a clever ruse to get people as far away from Ever After High as fast as possible and with as little panic as possible."

Raven breathed, hugging herself to Apple's side for comfort.

"Raven?" Apple asked seeing the other's distress. "It's alright you can tell us. We can help." She soothed.

"This magic… I've… been exposed to it before." Raven gulped allowing herself a moment to look as terrified as she felt. "It's my mother's. She's free."

The entire group stiffened.

"We need to get you out of here." The prince stated gravely, all business.

"First I need to make sure that Giles and the Headmaster are… still alive." Raven said faintly, but then shook herself and attempted to stand as tall and firm as she could under the circumstances. "They have an emergency lockdown system in place that was designed specifically for this situation. To keep Ever After High quarantined long enough for help to arrive. If they are unable to activate those defenses then somebody with a magic power close to the Grimm brother's or is of blood relation to a fairytale villain has to do it for them."

There was tense silence.

"Raven…" Apple almost forgot to breathe. "Are you saying that they- they willingly put you-… but that would put you in danger and- please say that you didn't accept what I think that-!"

"Last ditch option, I promise you Apple that they did not make that decision lightly and neither did I when I chose to accept the responsibility." Raven swore with feeling. "I will not leave you as long as I can help it I swear it."

"Well then they better be alive." Apple was on the very edge of loosing her trained royal calm. She stood directly in front of Raven, taking the witch's hands in her own and looking at Raven very seriously. "Because if they are not we are calling in Baba Yaga, Faybelle, Ginger, _anybody_ else to do this and _I am_ getting you _out of here_." Her eyes were livid. "Do you hear me Raven Queen? I _refuse_ to let you be a _sacrificial martyr_!"

"As you wish, but only if you understand that I am going to do everything I can to protect you too." Raven looked the princess in the eye, her face pleading. "My mother will try to come after you to get to me so I need assurance that you won't do anything rash either."

"As long as you're_ safe_." Apple stressed. "I will make sure of it."

"Then let's get to it." Cerise coughed, she and her fellow ignored companions fidgeted awkwardly, a feeling that only intensified when the two barely reacted to the hooded girl's voice (because watching the two girls looking at each other with so much raw emotion and unshakable devotion was now starting to border on way too intimate and it really looked as though Apple was about to jump Raven right in front of them and the three of them standing around with nothing to do just made things all the more weird and awkward… very, very awkward).

"Does someone happen to have some rope on them?" Raven asked looking up and a little ways down the building to the open window of the Headmaster's chambers.

The witch blinked as the two princesses in the group flicked out their purses and produced two long cords of sturdy nylon rope.

"How do you fit all that stuff in there?" The witch asked in scandalized awe.

The two princesses looked around shiftily.

"Well… I suppose that it's not hexactly legal…" Briar mused with a shrug.

"Stop." Raven sighed. "I want to be able to claim no prier knowledge to this. But really why are you carrying around rope?"

"Well a princess must always be prepared and a damsel sometimes needs to help out her villain when they run short of rope to tie us up with… or in your case if an ex-villain forgot her rope for damsel-in-distressing class or homework and needs to be tied up." Apple cast Raven a dry look.

Raven blushed, one of these days she was going to have to teach Apple about innuendo and how to avoid saying those things in public.

"It'll take too long to rush through the halls, we should try to get ourselves through the window." Raven informed the group pointing to the open window, Daring moving forward to help her.

"That sounded very kinky." Cerise muttered so that only Briar could hear.

"You ain't heard nothin' yet." Briar assured watching as Raven carefully used her magic to thread the rope through the window.

"I can hold it there until somebody can climb up and secure it from the inside." Raven announced.

Suddenly the witch's phone rang making everybody jump.

"I need to put this on silent… it's from Lizzie." Raven mumbled accepting the call. "Hey what's-"

"Are you alone? Or with people who won't freak out?" The girl on the other end of the call demanded.

"Yes…?" Raven raised her eyebrows. "Lizzie what-?"

"She's got the map!" The future Queen of Hearts wasted no time in getting right to the point. "She's got the map locating the last portal to Wonderland and she is already planning to invade!"

Raven's gut and chest seemed to turn to ice. "You've seen her?" The witch did not have to ask to know who "she" was. "Are you alright? Did anybody get hurt?" She demanded.

"We are fine, there was only a handful of us and we were all able to hide. The ghost of one of her past victim's was kind enough to warn us… ah…" Lizzie hesitated covering her mouth; she leaned closer to the screen as if to see Raven better. "She looked a lot like you actually… a relative of yours perhaps? She had one arm… and the Evil Queen was holding what looked like a… hand bone… wand…"

Raven grimaced. "Yes that would make sense… I have… been told that she did not hesitate to use her own kin for… experiments." The witch exhaled shakily. "Call-"

"Kitty? Right after I'm finished with you."

"Don't forget to use-"

"Riddleish so as not to worry anyone else but Maddie that may be around her."

"Please don't-"

"Tell anyone. We won't."

"And most importantly-"

"Yeah." Lizzie nodded. "We'll be careful… but Raven you should be more worried about yourself… she… she had blood Raven. She had blood dripping off of her when she showed herself."

Raven closed her eyes as if pained, Apple came close and wrapped her arms around Raven's middle, placing her forehead on Raven's shoulder and the witch willed herself to gather the princess's offered strength.

"Understood. After we find out the fate of the Headmaster and his brother we are gone… Thank you, be safe." Raven disconnected the call.

"Maybe I should be the first to go up. Warn you guys whether or not there is any…" The witch trailed off.

"You can't climb and keep the rope steady at the same time." Daring admonished. "I'll go."

"Okay but I'll be the one to search each room first. It won't be the first time that I have seen…" Raven's breath hitched.

Daring took his witchy friend's hands in his. "I'm going with you." He promised. "No arguments." Before Raven could get a word in edgewise the prince had already turned to the rope and began to climb.

The only horror Daring witnessed in the first room was the distressing pool of blood on the floor and going under one door.

He nearly called up the next person when he spied Apple and Raven's True Love portrait uncovered, they did not have time for explanations into that at this point in time, as he covered the artifact back up he prayed that the fates would be kind enough to allow the two of them the option for happiness. That they would survive to see it.

When he helped Raven through the window and carried her to a cleaner piece of floor (she had seen the blood and appeared to be in the throws of a flashback for she was muttering; "not again, not again" to herself and needed a moment to recollect herself) he noticed for the first time the state of her shirt, somehow between the torn tunic, the ridiculous lightness of her body (her magic seemed to be trying to levitate her away from the floor), and her fearful face made the normally imposing Rebel leader seem very… tiny, the smallest he had ever perceived of her. It broke his heart to see his normally confident friend reduced to this.

Apple hopped through the window before he could assist her (suspicious blood stain be damned) and marched her way over to the witch where the princess immediately cradled the other girl in her arms.

Briar had made a nauseated face when she slipped through and it took both Daring and the brunette princess to help Cerise through once her sensitive nose was shot full force with blood and death. Daring had managed to get her a trashcan in time for her to empty her stomach.

"You don't have to do this." Daring told a shakily approaching witch. "Haven't you already suffered enough from this woman?" He demanded gently but Raven just shook her head and took his arm.

Apple, like Daring, had tried to dissuade Raven from going into the room with all the blood but Raven would have none of it. So the princess stood off to the side, arms folded, made it known that she was not happy about this, and steeled herself for whatever state Raven might emerge from the room in.

"I _need_ to do this." Raven told them all, looking at Apple especially. "I need to see the damage she has caused and I need to know what she has used her victim or victims for." With that unsettling statement Raven stepped forward, opened the door, and both prince and witch slipped behind it.

Daring was completely unprepared for what he saw.

"Oh ancestors." He whispered with emotion, hand covering his mouth in horror. "Have mercy upon this slain soul." He begged.

Along the outside wall was a magic script written elegantly in what appeared to be some sort of ink that gave off a corrupted, violent feeling.

Across the room from them stood the mirror, looking less shadowy and more like a piece of black-framed glass. It looked… for a lack of a better word, dead, the surface was glossy but there was something on just the other side of the material that made even the reflections cast in it lifeless.

On the blood-sodden floor immediately in between of them and the mirror was an intricate magic circle of ash, still glowing a poisonous shade of green magic fire. In the center lay the slightly singed remains of a brain, a hand, and a heart.

A shallowly, still beating heart.

"What… what did she do in here?" Daring stared at the heart, he didn't know whether to cry, throw up, or run away.

"The brothers must have put an emergency lockdown sequence on this room." Raven's voice came out full of emotion with just an accent of pained horror as she nodded to the writing on the wall. "She would've used a mixture of blood and ink to knock out any magical locks all along this wall within a two hundred foot radius."

"I don't know how she managed to get enough of herself out to do this much… but _that_." She pointed shakily to the floor. "Is how she managed to get enough power to escape, whoever this was it was not the Grimm brothers. A ritual of this design a non-magic user had to have been the victim. The ashes of the internal organs and as much skin as necessary minus the brain and heart are used to draw up the circle. These," she somberly pointed to the brain, hand, and heart in turn, "represent the mind, body, and soul, they are used to keep the life-force from entering the afterlife up to several hours and allow her to remotely absorb the life directly into her core magic and give her a boost." Raven wanted fresh air the stench of death was just too overwhelming but she had to stay, had to give this soul some respect.

"All that there is left that we can do is to identify the victim, cut off her power boost source monstrosity, and find a box or something to put them in." Raven reluctantly let go of the boy's arm, cursing herself for not insisting on going alone when she spied the look on his face. This… this would haunt him, just as her first attempt at running away haunted her, the things she saw, the horrors, her mother had justified them by saying that those of weaker races and blood deserved it, that they were… nothing better than living tools to be used and thrown away, pests to the world.

She tried to think of other things as she approached the mirror, like how she was grateful that she had decided on wearing tennis shoes instead of heels, made for running off to find a trash bin to throw up in much easier, and she was less likely to slip in blood.

Daring looked off to the side, spied something shining near a lamp. "Uh, R-Raven." He gulped wetly. "I think I know who… got…" He held up the horned rimmed spectacles for the witch to see.

Raven's eyes widened, her glowing hand passed over the mirror to lift back the shroud of dead blackness and unveil the lifeless mutilated form floating in the vastness of the mirror's confines.

"Ms. Trollsworth." Raven confirmed sorrowfully tearing up at the sight.

Daring bowed his head, holding the old woman's glasses delicately. They were broken, the boy thought to himself, broken like their former mistress.

"I'm so sorry." The witch sobbed in a fragile whisper passing a hand to darken the image once again. Allowing a moment of silence to pass.

"Box." Raven commanded hot tears of anger and sadness falling down her face. "I need a box to fully disperse the circle's hold on her spirit, I saw one on a shelf in the other room and bring a table cloth to wrap the mirror up in, the least we can do is show her body some dignity and get it the hell out of this… this room!"

Daring nodded, understanding the witch's feelings completely and squeezed himself (so as not to let the girls on the other side, who had been listening in with increasing panic, see the horror that lay on the other side of the door) into the adjacent room.

Raven's power glowed in rage.

"If your spirit is still able to comprehend my words, let it be known that I will not let your death be in vain and I will not allow this disgrace to your life go unpunished!" Raven seethed grabbing the membrane of the magic circle with all the strength she could muster, making the magic whine and try to squirm away.

"I swear it!" The witch roared ripping the green flames away from their foundations and cutting off it's connection to the Evil Queen, Raven increased her power to a blinding force until the last of the vile magic fell victim to the burn of her own power and rage.

XXX

The Evil Queen paused in her tracks outside the boy's dorms, putting a thin finger to her bottom lip and looking at the bright blue sky thoughtfully.

Though her witch senses had been sheltered from the numbing bombardment of uncontained magics… there was something familiar about the one that had just cut off her power boost (something that was only just mildly irritating) and yet…

She had barely been able to gather a sense of who it was.

Odd… the campus seemed to be rather deserted, was there an event going on elsewhere?

Something was not right here…

For a moment a ghostly figure of a woman with similar familial characteristics to the Evil Queen flashed into visibility behind the half naked witch, the ghost cast the other a hard look, her faint purple glow increasing in size for a moment before the figure winked out of sight.

The Evil Queen turned around to where she had felt… something that was not there…

A familiar shiver ran down the woman's spine.

Dear gods it felt almost as though she were a little witchling all over again and that blasted mother of hers was shadowing her because the woman knew her child was up to something "troublesome" as the woman had been so fond of calling it, and wanted to catch her in the act so that her mother could appear out of nowhere and startle the living starlight's out of her daughter before handing down punishment with that blasted dry look of hers…

But that was impossible… she had taken care of her mother years ago… there was no way that she could cheat the laws of life and death, even if this was her mother, and that sounded exactly like something that she would definitely do if she could… no way she had the power do that! Just so that she could haunt her daughter… her killer…

…Right?

XXX

Kitty nodded coldly to Lizzie's face.

"Crystal I recognize." The cat girl spoke seriously to her phone, hugging Maddie, whose face was just as stony as her girlfriend's, closer to her frame before hanging up.

Charlotte looked up from finishing working on patching up a big gash in Duchess's leg, through all of the confusion (an apparently the shock of seeing Raven Queen nearly topless if the rumors were to be believed) earlier, no one had noticed that the young dancer had managed to injure her leg until the girl had calmed down long enough to whine to Faybelle about how her leg hurt.

"Something up?" The witch asked.

"Maddie and I need to handle some Wonderland business for a moment could you take Earl Grey and Nevermore for a while? They can help you take care of the injured for a while until we can meet you again across the river." Kitty didn't wait for an answer, depositing the dragon and mouse into the witch's hands before winking away with Maddie.

"Oh! Ah…" Charlotte looked down at the two animals a little cross-eyed. "I… guess you two will be joining Hopper as my assistants. You don't mind that, do you Hopper?"

"Not at all lady Charlotte. My… current form prevents me from doing much for the injured and suffering. Some help would be appreciated." The amphibian croaked clipping Duchess's bandage in place.

"Hmmm." Faybelle looked suspiciously over at the spot where the two Wonderlandians once stood.

"Cousin?" Charlotte asked.

"It's probably nothing." The fairy smiled at her relative.

"Nothing… _yet_…" The girl muttered when the witch returned to her task.

XXX

"Kitty darling! I hope that you and your mate have been Wonderlandfully mischievous as of late." The Cheshire Cat grinned widely at her daughter.

"Unfortunately there is no time for fun and pranks today mom." Kitty told her mother, the fearfully serious looks on the younger girls' faces making the woman frown in concern.

"Kitty? Madeline? What is the matter?" The woman asked.

"It's the creator of our curse and the separation of our kin." Maddie told her mother-in-law seriously. "She's broken out and is terrorizing Ever After High!"

The older woman stiffened her pupils narrowing to thin slits.

"What of the little Raven? The young Heart Queen? Your classmates?" She demanded; the queen would have her head if she ran to her without all the relevant information.

The two girls explain everything they knew, from the overpowering presence of the Evil Queen causing pain in magic users and animal-kin to Lizzie's message.

"Raven has everyone believing that it's just some bad magic leaking and has been mostly successful in getting people moving across the river to safety, right now she is out gathering her princess and making sure that the brothers are alive to activate this secret quarantine bubble or some such thing. Lizzie had a close call but one of the ghosts of the Evil one's past is obviously trying to help us… mom I know how Wonderland usually views ghosts and things from the other side…" Kitty trailed off.

"If it proves to be a valuable ally against the enemy then we will not try to take up valuable time trying to cleanse the damn thing." The elder assured. "This is war time, no room for stupidity."

Maddie tilted her head slightly. "Did those seedlings we smuggled there take in Wonderland's soil?"

The Cheshire Cat cracked a small half smirk at the mention of the Bleeding Rebel Heart seeds the refugees at Ever After had been sending through the well at every opportunity for the past few months. "They've been growing like wild little things all over her royal highness's gardens."

"Raven's been developing a special weapon oil that can supposedly cut through the Evil Queen's curses when applied to something sharp." The girl takes her mirrorpad out of her hat. "I have her keep copies of all her notes and spells on this, she says that it's still in the beginning stages but I have faith in Raven. It will work."

The Cheshire Cat grinned, her little kitten had made an excellent choice for her mate. "Hold it up to me and I'll use my own devise to extract the information." The woman moved her finger in a come hither motion. "And do call your father after we're through little Madeline, even though he has gone off to start summer break a few days early over at the King estates before you two he is in the purrfect place to gather support forces from the outside. After all the Good King is a father worth his salt, he won't let his little girl fight that horror on her own."

"Understood." The two girls nodded, understanding their orders just like two good little warriors.

The Cheshire Cat's smirk turns downright feral.

"Let's show the Evil one why no one declares war on Wonderland and lives."

Twin feral grins return back at her.

XXX

"I guess we weren't the only ones that thought that these would pretty up a room." Raven mumbled eyeing the potted Bleeding Rebel Heart that sat on the former secretary's desk, the witch respectfully placed the mirror, which had been expertly folded into a white cotton tablecloth, on top of the immaculately clean desk and a medium sized cherry wood box on top of that.

"You did good by her." Apple assured, taking the potted plant and arranging it next to the box containing the recently deceased's extracted remains and ashes. The princess almost cringed at the thought of how it must have been for Raven, Daring, and Briar to have to gather up what was left of the woman and carry her to somewhere that was not… _that_ place.

The witch and prince had tried to dissuade the mage from going anywhere near the room of horrors but Briar had held firm stating that as a mage, therefore a being that dealt with spirits and magic of emotions, and having been trained in funeral rights, she had every right to be there and lend a hand.

It had turned out to be rather necessary to employ Briar's powers, Raven could not touch the remains with her magic without it leaving a stain that needed to be scrubbed out later on, Briar on the other hand was able to gently levitate the body parts and glasses, wrap them individually in handkerchiefs and chanting prayers for the dead while putting the remains into the box, gather the ashes from the fibers in the carpet and place those in as well, while Raven and Daring gently wrapped up the mirror, whispering prayers of their own.

The witch dropped her head onto Apple's shoulder. "I still feel lousy about her fate. This… this should have never happened to her."

It wasn't fair; the secretary had done nothing wrong and yet…

Apple encircled her arms around the other and held Raven close. "I know Raven." She whispered. "I know. It's beyond not fair."

"We need to find the Grimm Brothers." Cerise stated her skin still holding a pale green tint to it with all of the death in the air, she, Briar, and Daring were practically holding each other up at this point. They were tired but they all knew that this was far from over. "I think that I can sniff them out once I get away from all the smells that are in here."

Daring and Apple blinked in confusion.

"Do you mean that rumor about you being descended from a family of ninjas was true?" Apple asks making Cerise chuckle weakly. The group seemed to shift focus, desperate to cling onto something lighter before more of the unknown nightmare unfolded before them.

"Ninjas… I heard the one about assassins but not ninjas." She says frailly as they begin to move out.

"Assassins?" Daring's eyes widen slightly, not too sure whether the hooded girl was hinting at something or if she was just doing that thing where she seemed to be secretly laughing at everyone, it was difficult to tell with Cerise.

The hooded girl just smirks before stepping into the center of the hallway and getting down to business, kneeling to the floor, nose pointed at the ground in concentration, Briar and Raven helped to shield her with their powers from the constant onslaught in the air.

"This way." Cerise barks moving forwards at a crouch and they all run after her, she's not running as fast as she was capable but the others needed to keep up with her and they all need to approach with caution, eyes and senses scanning for anything out of the ordinary in the seemingly empty halls.

They reach the library where Cerise comes to a stop; she wrinkles her nose and turns in a slow circle looking around wildly for a moment before snarling. "Nymph silver magic, it's scrubbed over their skin cells. I can't track them through scent anymore."

"That's fine Cerise, you've done a fantastic job bringing us this far, most likely they might be somewhere around here, we can search for clues by sight now." Raven praises making the wolf-child lift her head a little in pride.

"Skin cells?" Apple mutters looking a little grossed out.

"We all shed dead skin cells all the time." Briar explains absently as she scans the shelves for anything useful. "Cerise's abilities allow her to have the ability to pick up the specific profile of an individual and track them through scent."

"Maybe she really is related to ninja assassins." The blonde princess mumbles sounding a little impressed, she made a note of this incase she ever needed the aid of the hooded girl's talents in the future.

That is if they somehow managed to survive the day to see that future.

Raven seeing Apple's worried expression takes the princess's hand in her own.

"Once we find them then we'll go." The witch promises. "We can leave all of the heavy lifting to the authorities and travel far, far away from here… if you would allow me to take you I can whisk you away to anywhere you would like to go, and we can stay there until it all blows over. Just say the word and we're gone."

Apple can't help but smile at the prospect. "Yes." She says laying her head on Raven's shoulder. "I'd like that, I'd like that a lot, a place where you are by my side and safe and we can leave this nightmare behind us."

"You two might have to wait a little while longer for that vacation." Briar called to them, she sent them a dry look, all of this lovey dovey stuff and they weren't even together yet. Criminal. "Cerise has picked up on something."

XXX

"Are you sure this contraption will reach the surface?" Milton eyed the mechanical thing that his brother had dubbed "the tapping code machine" for some odd reason. The device was aimed to hit a vertical venting shaft in a repeated SOS in the hopes of someone who was an ally coming along, hearing it, understanding it, and having the ability to act, it had been going for a while now and so far nothing.

"It's not an issue of _if_ it'll reach the surface, it's more a matter of if there is someone we can _trust_ to hear it." Giles pointed out.

Milton groaned. "With hope someone has called the Grand Coven and there is no one left on campus save for the Evil Queen."

"We took her on once." Giles assured.

"We caught her by surprise." Milton countered.

"Are you saying that you think you're too old to handle her?" Giles smirked at his brother.

Milton scoffed. "Her _mother_ is the one who taught me everything useful I know about academic defense magic I'm more worried about you." The man cast his brother a teasing grin.

Before the other could retort they heard a second, separate sequence of taps coming in loudly through the vent.

"Huh." Milton tilted his head. "It actually worked."

"You don't have to sound so surprised." Giles chuckled good-naturedly.

XXX

The three arrived near to the hidden passage leading to Giles Grimm's office where they came upon Daring with his ear against a wall, scribbling something down onto a small notebook (he needed something to write down girl's phone numbers and little bits of personal information about them so that he could charm them with how much he "remembered" about them), and Cerise staring transfixed to the same spot the boy was leaning against. The arriving group fell quiet for a moment; a faint rhythmic tapping could be heard almost but not quite echoing in the small section of the room.

"It's Morris code!" Daring whispered writing furiously; he paused to beat his fist against the wall in the same rhythmic matter.

"Morris code?" Raven asked staring at the boy as if he had just lost his mind.

"It's a way of emergency communication." Apple explained. "The frequency of the banging noise sounds out letters for us to translate."

"Like that shorthand you write your notes in?" Raven asked; it was impossible to get decent notes from the princess because she used a system of confusing loops and squiggles to write things out in her notebook.

"It's a little different… but close enough, yes." Apple nodded, she'd explain the difference between the two to the witch later.

Daring looked up from his notebook. "They're saying that the magical creatures who inhabit the library have put the place on lockdown, if we are who we say we are then those of us who can wield magic won't have much difficulty passing through the defenses." The boy informed grabbing Cerise and Briar's hands and leading the way to Giles Grimm's office.

As it had turned out the term "lockdown" had been just a little bit of an understatement.

"I can see why they've been having such a difficult time getting out." Cerise murmured her golden eyes surveying the intricate web of interwoven visible magics crisscrossing the cavernous area. "Never thought that water nymphs and sand sprites could get along long enough to live in the same vicinity from the other, let alone work together to make this." The hooded girl idly observed while her companions stared awestruck.

"How are we going to get through all of this?" Apple whipped her head around sporadically in all directions, having Raven's magic within her meant that she could unconsciously sense more than just the visible and it was putting the princess's newly acquired witch senses on overload.

Raven experimentally passed a glowing hand through a delicate strand of silver magic, the little segment seemed to part and attach itself to the witch's power before reconnecting with itself on the other side of her hand.

"We keep holding hands, walk forward slowly, and be very polite to the spooked locals." The witch advised tentatively putting one foot in front of the other.

"This is all so very…" Apple trailed off moving herself closer to Raven's side.

"Later I'll teach you how to block that out so that you aren't so overwhelmed if you ever travel to a heavily magical area." Raven promised squeezing the other's hand.

"I told you that it would work." Giles cheered triumphantly to his brother when the group of student's came into sight.

"Miss White… Miss Queen… I am glad to see that you are unharmed." The Headmaster breathed a relieved sigh, looking the group over from within the confines of his accidental prison. He noted that they all looked distressingly frayed at the edges.

"Yeah." Raven smiled awkwardly, not used to the Headmaster being relieved to see her at all, for any reason. "Glad to see you two still alive and kicking… also."

"Miss Beauty are you… wielding magic?" The Headmaster blinks at the girl in surprise, noting that Apple and Raven were not holding hands with the others and that the visual disturbance of air was certainly not witchcraft.

"You can catch us up with what is happening above once we get back to the library yes?" Giles interrupted cheerily holding his hands out for Briar to take.

"R-right…" The Headmaster coughed a little nervously as he watched his brother walk off with the trio leaving him with the witch and princess. "I suppose that just leaves…"

"C'mon." Raven held out her hand for the man to take, breathing out a sigh through here nose. "You should know by now that I'm too much of a softy to bite you. Besides you're the silver lining we sorely need right now." She finished somberly Ms. Trollsworth's fate fresh in her mind.

Milton looks at the two shaken girls in front of him with increasing worry. "Tell me what you know if you would be so kind Miss Queen." He says with uncharacteristic gentleness as he takes her hand.

Raven breathes, deep long breaths to calm her racing heart, focusing on the right now and not at the fact that she was just within reach of the her mo- _the Evil Queen. _" The campus seems to be fairly empty when I was within range I could not sense any magic users at the very least outside the main castle but due to the numbed state of my senses and the dampening field within this building I am… uncertain about whether or not there may be anymore people inside here. I am however very certain that between Blondie's message telling people to evacuate across river Legends and the magic quality of the air that if there were any magic users or animal kin on campus, they'd have fled by now and dragged their unaffected friends with them."

"Yes we had gotten Miss Lockes's message before the connection had been blocked by Ever After's resident magical creature population." Giles admits stepping out into the main library floor. "Carry on Raven, you're doing fine."

The witch nods curtly, breathing again, staying focused on the now and not the what's next. "I believe that she's still on campus so if we move fast enough you can trap her and the Wonderlandian forces can move in."

"Wonderland?" The Headmaster's inhales panicked.

"Lizzie and a few others spotted… _her _going into the dorms and coming out with a map to the well." Raven tried to keep her voice steady as she spoke; she met the Headmaster's gaze with her own, terrified eyes. "Lizzie has contacted Kitty and Maddie and by now they should have contacted Wonderland to warn them and prepare them to set up a counter attack, and my father, who would have then contacted the Grand Coven and my grandmother would have contacted anybody that either owes her a favor or is too afraid of her to say no… all that there seems to be left is to trap her in and hope for the best."

_And leave you and anybody left to a highly probable death sentence_. Raven thinks but doesn't voice, she looks between the two elderly men with the sickening realization that this may be the last that she would ever see of them.

"Raven?" Milton places his big hand on the young (oh so very young, too young and too small for this) witch's shoulder and gives a gentle squeeze. "Do you happen to know if anyone has been… hurt?"

He means killed but he doesn't voice it, doesn't want to tip the witch into a fear filled corner, not when she'll be needing to run for her life soon.

"No known student casualties but- ah…" Raven's breath hitches. "We-w-we…" suddenly it's very difficult for Raven to breath.

"It's Ms. Trollsworth." Daring announced grimly. "We found her… what was left of her. Raven believes that the Evil Queen had managed to get enough of herself free to… nab her and the spell cast on Ms. Trollsworth's remains was used to add enough of a boost in power to break her free of the mirror. She is the only casualty that we know of so far sirs."

A grim silence filled the air.

The Headmaster bowed his head "Giles and I had better go to my chambers and dispel the spell and take care of the remains after-"

"We already took care of that." Briar swallowed looking away.

"Wha-"

"Raven and Daring found the body and Briar helped them collect what was left of her into a box." Cerise looked fearlessly into the two older men's eyes.

"You too had been witness to this?" Giles asked the hooded girl with open pity.

Cerise shook her head in the negative. "No, Apple and I were in the another room because she had to help carry me far enough away from the smell of…_ that_ so that I would stop getting so sick and be well enough to run over half of us out of there if needed."

"One more thing." Apple spoke now half holding Raven up as the witch tried to collect herself. "Lizzie said that before the Evil Queen entered the girl's dorm there had been an… apparition, a ghost we believe to be one of Raven's slain relatives had appeared to warn everybody to hide. She has only one arm, we think that whoever it might be had been killed to make this… bone wand that the Evil Queen has with her right now."

The Headmaster felt a foreboding chill run down his spine. "I know of the wand of which you speak." He says gravely remembering that same wand he had switched out for a magic coin on an incident involving thronecoming week…

"Thank you for coming this far to free us." Milton looks at Raven with the gentlest look he had ever given her. "But right now you need to get out of here, we will activate the defenses once you are free of the campus."

"Don't die." Raven begged the man not caring if she sounded like a terrified seven-harvests-old witchling. "Or get worse than death, don't get either of those… please?" The witch may have butted heads with the elder man but she would never wish him any ill will, nor did she truly hate him, to her he was just… grouchy Headmaster Grimm who just seemed like he needed to take a nice vacation most of the time.

She was aiming her plea to Giles too but Giles had years to perfect his defense techniques, the Headmaster… was too busy running a high school.

She might not see these men ever again and it was killing her that she could do nothing to protect them, protect them from ending up like… . She just felt so powerless and completely vulnerable at the moment.

Milton Grimm did something the witch did not expect, he lightly pinched her cheek and smiled in a weathered, grandfatherly way, making her unconsciously relax by fractions, she noticed that he smelled of magical ink and old book paper and for a moment wondered what it would have been like to have an old fashioned grandfather (Gus was sweet but he was both way too young looking and treated her more like a little sister, despite him being one of her grandmother's lovers, to really be called a grandfather, and she had never met her paternal grandfather, her grandmother had opted for a sperm donor rather than marry an arranged stranger), if Elenore was as friendly and sweet as Apple had described (the complete opposite of her paternal grandmother) and if she had… if things had been… different…

Raven just wondered if things might've been different if she knew who her maternal grandfather was, and if he had known her, she had always felt this void when it came to her Queen heritage, so many documents and yet there was no one left but her, until her father had declared her and her long-lost relatives had shown up it had been… lonely, _so_ _very_ _lonely_, there had been no witch-kin to connect with, not until her tutor had fallen for her grandmother and even then… it all had to be kept a secret. No one could openly proclaim her as theirs.

Her intuition was numbed to the point where she had trouble finding it on a good day but Raven couldn't help but wonder… get a _feeling_ that perhaps the Headmaster had once known her grandmother.

And now there was a good chance that she'd never be able to ask him.

"We'll make sure that this story has a happy ending." Milton assured looking at the young witch who resembled her grandmother more and more with each passing day. "We'll provide a distraction and you, little miss, need to run as fast as you can ok?"

Raven nodded.

"Good." The Headmaster stood up, flinching when there was a rumble and disconcerting sounds of movement and inhuman groaning could be heard echoing through the open door leading to the hallways. "Now go. All of you, and don't look back." The Headmaster urged them, shoeing them out the door.

XXX

"Is Raven or Apple with you?" Hunter asked as he jogged up to his girlfriend who had finally crossed the bridge over Legends River with what they hoped were the last few stragglers.

"No." Ashlynn shook her head. "Lizzie said that they had gone to make sure that the Headmaster and Mister Giles Grimm were well enough to initiate quarantine protocols."

The boy glanced over at Lizzie who had taken a large bottle with a warning label stuck on it out of her ridiculously tiny purse, placing it on a handkerchief on the ground, somehow wrapping the container up and reducing it's size to that of one of those little bottles that Ashlynn always carried around in the process, and then handed the wrapped bit of cloth to Cedar, before repeating the process for Tiffany, and then for Edward.

"What is she giving them?" The boy asked wrinkling his brow.

"They said that they had swiped some experimental anti-curse thing from the labs." Ashlynn sighed. "They said that it was just incase anything tried to cross the river."

Hunter opened his mouth, hesitated but decided to speak anyway. "Hey do you get the feeling that we're being left out of the loop about something?"

"That's because we are." Ashlynn whispered taking him to the side. "But right now we need to focus on keeping everybody here calm and collected, we brought back some of the teachers who hadn't left for break yet with us but most of them were hit so hard from close proximity that even professor Baba Yaga is out for the count, and the teachers who still can move around are few and far in between, we're basically on our own until help arrives so the only thing that we can do right now is keep everyone away from Ever After and hope that Raven, Apple, and whomever is left can handle things on their own."

The boy sighed looking around at the makeshift temporary camp that was being built, against better judgment half the boy's dorm had taken camping supplies with them as they fled (they already had it on hand, and they were still spooked about the boy's dorm ghost so… why not?), one big tent had been erected from the bits of cannibalized tent parts for the injured and those still coming down from the shock to their systems. Parties of organized groups dotted the riverbank and nearby trees scrounging up food and firewood, a few had started a head count of those present and arriving, Blondie was asking everyone to please sign their name onto her mirrorsite using their phones so they should have an exact attendance list in soon, those who could play instruments were either using academic magic to keep the wild creatures at bay or were fast-track learning _how_ to use magic on their instruments, Dexter was recording Sparrow and sending the finished songs to the school website where people could download the music and play it for themselves.

And those who had nothing else to do were curled up around each other and calling family no doubt an entire fleet of concerned parents would be showing up in the early hours of the morning to pick up their kids.

"Maddie said that they called in the Grand Coven and Raven's father for reinforcements." Ashlynn reported rubbing the bridge of her nose. "For now the only thing we can do is to wait and see what crazy adventure our fearless leaders have gotten themselves into this time."

Hunter breathed a heavy sigh. "Lets make them proud then. Do you mind calling in your litter of dragons to keep guard between us and Ever After?"

"Just to be safe?" Ashlynn guessed.

"Yeah it feels like one of those days." Hunter nodded.

Faybelle hummed in thought from her place behind a tree she had been listening in from, sighing as she turned her head to the ground.

She knew that all of this involved the Evil Queen in some way or another. That Raven had been terrified, had been hurt by the woman, and had gone as far as to forsake her destiny just to separate herself from her mother.

Raven's mother, the woman who Raven had admitted to being the one responsible for her wounds, the one who dared dishonor the Thorn clan.

The fairy looked up and peered over to the medical tent where her cousin was using her powers to help calm Mama Bear while keeping an eye on coach Gingerbread Man and his cookie kin who had to be strapped down for their own, and everyone else's protection. Healer Phalange was busy terrorizing the teachers who were up and about because over half her staff was either magic-users or animal-kin and because they had been so close to the magical fallout they were useless so now that only the human adults were left standing, their asses were hers and they had better do a damn good job.

Faybelle took a moment to quietly snicker at the human teacher's fate.

Duchess was with the other animal-kin who could still mostly function, she was curled up in Tiny's arms, the giant, trolls, ogres, and other creatures were sort of sitting still as stone together in one big support group, letting the animal-kin lay a top and around them, seeking comfort from each other.

Ginger had gone full mother hen witch and was protectively watching over the Crumb brats while she and a few other magic users were cooking up protective spells, healing potions, or just cooking to feed all the people milling about. Since there were so few people who had the presence of mind to snatch some cooking supplies from a restaurant (save Ginger, because apparently her first instinct in an emergency was whether or not everyone would have enough to eat) or usable all purpose knives from the armory market (save Gus and Helga, it was almost too sickly sweet how those brats had taken to their story's witch) they had to resort to using magic in place of missing supplies.

The fairy almost sighed despairingly as that little brat Gus raced to Ginger holding a basket full of fish a freaking sparkle in his eyes as the witch patted his head and praised him before turning to Helga and praising the human girl for her work on separating and cleaning the freshly picked herbs making the other Crumb brat practically glow with pride.

Gods, how far her friend had fallen, from the pride and joy of the Breadhouse clan to- to… _this_. A surrogate mother to a pair of human brats who not too long ago had been screaming their heads off whenever the witch walked into the room.

Ginger had always been far too forgiving.

But in this case it only worked in Faybelle's favor, with her friends either absent or distracted there was nothing to stop her from sneaking away and-

A stiff hand grabbed her shoulder making the fairy startle so bad she was just barely a breath away from screaming.

"Cedar what is the meaning of this?" The Fairy whispered outraged.

"Take… me back… to… school." The wooden girl commanded slowly raising a pointed finger towards the spoken area, the otherworldly lilt to Cedar's voice making the fairy shiver back. "The forest-t-t-t… is crying… th-th-the Evil one isss here. I must-t-t-t help."

"How can you possibly think that you can help huh? You can barely move! The only outcome of you going anywhere near the school right now is your death!" Faybelle hissed, and really she was as evil as any good storybook villain should be but that did not make Faybelle monstrous enough to get her jollies off of seeing another living being ripped apart by a mad woman!

Not only was it bad form but it would also put her on the same level as the Evil Queen and _that_ was _never_ gonna happen!

"S-s-s-slowww in bod-d-d-dy…" Cedar turned her head to a spot not too far away from the tree line of the clearing, Faybelle's gut dropped when the girl's eyes clouded to black with two little pinpricks of white peeking through the dark sockets. "B-but not-t-t-t… in spirit-t-t-t."

Faybelle leaped back comically when the tiny grasses and small shrubs suddenly grew ten-times their size, nearby trees went through entire cycles of leaves turning, falling off, sprouting new buds, vines of ivy sprouted from the ground and in seconds climbed to the sky supported by something… something Faybelle could only sense but not describe.

"Alright, alright!" The fairy relented in a loud whisper. "I'll take you but you need to stop that now! The fairy could hear the startled yelps from the humans and the unified humming from the animal-kin and other creatures who oddly enough weren't as frightened as their fully human cousins but they seemed to be more… welcoming of the magical aura that was wild and wholly from the earth.

Cedar held up her arms and the fairy took her to the sky while Hunter and Ashlynn went to deal with the latest oddity of the day.

"Th-th-thank-" Cedar started.

"Don't thank me for going along with this insane idea." Faybelle cut her off gruffly. "The only reason why I'm putting you in danger like this is because I need backup and you're the only one who volunteered."

The wooden girl tilted her head up, turning her darkened eyes to the fairy. "Y-y-you are… sc-c-cared-d-d-d?" She asked hinting at sounding surprised.

"And your not?" Faybelle countered. "Yeah… I'm scared, any sane person would be. But that's not going to stop me from regaining my family honor." The fairy stated fiercely. "How about you why are you doing this?"

Cedar was silent for a moment making Faybelle believe that the girl just didn't want to talk about it, but before the fairy could speak the girl in her arms spoke something that made every bone in Faybelle's body freeze.

"T-t-the ghost-t-tssss have… p-p-prayed-d to t-the… forest-t-t f-for vengeance. It'ssss my nat-ture t-t-o heed th-their prayerssssss as… a child… of the… woodssssss."

Faybelle decided right then and there that conversation was _so_ overrated.

XXX

The Evil Queen nearly giggled as she skipped through the halls, it felt so good to finally release all of the nasty surprises she had left hidden away in the school classrooms, after all these years and she could finally reveal her big surprise! The Head-bastard was going to blow the top of his head off when he realized that she had done more than just switch out the book while she had been sneaking around his precious school.

Things must have been dreadfully mundane since she had been sealed away since the school was still standing and around, in her opinion it was a miracle with that useless fool in charge.

It was one of the few blessing that she'd credit her mother for, to not reveal the identity of her birth father, the Headmaster had always whined about how she had only inherited her mothers looks and nothing from her mother's "Magnificent" or "Elegant" personality, muttering to himself when he thought she was out of earshot that perhaps whomever her birth father may be was the one responsible for the failure in personality. It was hilarious really! What would the pathetic man do with the truth anyway? Rant and lecture her to _death_ about how she had no excuse for her "behavior"? Because that outcome was far more likely than her becoming the wholesome little villainous Cretan that he had always hoped she'd become, a perfect clone of her mother, whom he had pined pathetically for years just to win her favor once again.

Pathetic love-struck fool, she'd make certain that all of those little dreams of his shattered, with the proof of her mother, the love of his life's, demise and the spawn by her side, destroying the world of fairytales for her, the Evil Queen, the spawn who was her creator's finest creation, yes all of those years of him looking at her like she was the scum of the earth, the reason why he thought her mother hid her face from him.

If the truth didn't kill him she would, after he watched as the worlds crumbled before her.

One last classroom to go, she had already sent her golem minions from the princess-ology classroom and the fairy-godmother lecture hall off to secure the well, she would be joining them soon, once she had finished here and secured her spawn.

Mirrors and shiny surfaces had always been a major fixture of the classrooms designed specifically for prince training, they were some of the brightest rooms in the school due to all the reflective surfaces bouncing off light.

The Evil Queen wondered if anyone had ever expected such bright objects of reflection capable of hiding something darker…

Her bare hand spreads flush against polished white marble the magic pouring off of her skin fusing into the stone.

…Had they ever considered that she might have hidden something… more sinister within the very walls that housed them?

The stone bowed outward a shape emerging from somewhere deep within. The Evil Queen turned to another stone wall and repeated the process, then to another, and another.

When she was finished with the walls she turned her attention to the mirrors, dancing her way to the center of the room before flinging her arms up and out, brilliant dark purple magic bounced from one mirrored surface to another, faster and faster until the entire room flashed with her power.

Golems were her specialty, a break from simply spying upon tittering little princesses using mirrors and hiding behind poisoned objects like a coward, her creations were a true testament to power, something to _really_ be feared!

The hulking lizard-like figures that had formed from deep within the polished surface walls skulked out and made their way in single file out of the exits, programed to begin a proper organized terrorizing, a distraction, before the real fun began.

The mirrors hit with her magic began to crack and levitate away from their frames, slowly at first, but then the fragments multiplied launching out into the room with enough speed to send her smokey hair flying in all directions. The fragments swirled around her and flew out through the windows before collecting on the lawn to take on the forms of her mirrored golem knights, standing guard to await further orders.

She stood in the center of the ruined room, the piece of clothing she had acquired was two sizes too small, barely covering her magnificent form, her vaporous black hair was wild and wisped around her frame like tendrils of fine inky spider's silk blowing in the wind, barefoot, half naked, and yet she was the most powerful being in the world, on the cusp of tearing down the old to build up the new.

And they had once called her nothing more than one of many imitations of a nightmare in a story. Fools! She was no mere imitation, and this was not just another story about morals to be told to small children!

She was a god of death and chaos and this was her legend of victory!

The Evil Queen startled a foot off the ground when a large booming noise and accompanying cacophony of lights and loud firework sparkles went off in one corner of the campus.

"The hell?" The woman grumbled looking up from her task of gloating to look out a broken window, trying to sense what insanity was transpiring now, from what she could see something or other had set off over at the grand outdoor stage area but… there was nothing there, nothing living that she could sense (she could actually sense something this time) that could've caused it.

Her first impulse was to go and investigate but the abrupt return of her magical senses made her weary, no more than a few minutes ago they had been as numb and useless as if she had spent her whole life at the accursed school but now she could feel enough to the point where she could tell whether or not there was a living soul out there…

The woman tilted her head to the side, analyzing the sensation; she could feel what was going on in that particular direction but in the opposite direction… there was nothing. It was all… numb? …No. It was… blocked?

Internally she poked at the numbness, feeling, much to her surprise, something else there… something that had embedded itself into-

The Evil Queen stopped breathing, there was something attached to her core… her _heart,_ like a- l-like a parasite!

Bile rose into her throat as the- the _thing_ twitched back from her prodding, vestiges of another awareness, a consciousness separate from her own seeped into her space of awareness before closing off with a snap that sent an electric shock through the Evil Queen's nervous system.

But that little shock paled in comparison to the small taste of a familiar magical signature…

"_Mom?"_ The woman half screamed outraged. "Is that-? How-? I killed you! How is this possible? Are- _are you in me_?" The Evil Queen hugged her arms around the book-map, looking around wildly, half fearing that the older woman would appear out of thin air.

She forced herself to breathe, to think even as an overwhelming feeling of violation threatened to disturb her as the spirit of her mother cringed back in response, clamping down so hard onto the Evil Queen's senses to block them from feeling out _anything_ that it actually hurt! It felt like she was pinching her really hard inside her chest cavity.

"Okay, okay…" The woman thought frantically, holding up the bone wand threateningly (not that her mother ever seemed to be threatened by her, even in the throws of death). "If you were willing to let me see what was going on over there…" she pointed to the area that was still throwing out sparkly fireworks and making loud noises. "But not what was happening over there…" She turned sharply in the opposite direction morphing herself into a cloud of inky smoke and flying out through another broken window, taking to the sky, high above Ever After.

"What are you trying to hide from me?" The woman snarled half solidifying out of the vapor to look around.

The first thing she noticed was that the campus appeared to be void of any life, which was odd because her golem minions should have rustled up at least a couple dozen screaming pests running for their lives.

And that's where she saw them, her mother may have blocked off her senses and she may not know or care about who those other brats were, but she could recognize her spawn anywhere, even with her magic all tainted up and good.

Her mother twisted violently from within, ripping her spirit away from the Evil Queen's heart and body with a force that made the younger woman scream in pain, left in a state where she could see nothing but stars behind her clenched eyelids, the abrupt rush of her returned senses overwhelming her and forcing the Evil Queen to plummet several yards before she had a chance to catch herself in mid air, by then her mother's presence was long gone.

"Why you old-!" She snarled to the air, but before she could move a bright column of light shot up from the highest tower of Ever After castle, coming within feet of hitting her. It halted in midair a hundred yards up, as if it had struck a solid surface and the light began to rapidly spread outward creating a dome, around the perimeter of the campus a glowing circular line was drawn, lines of light spreading inwards forming ancient script and the beginnings of a heptagram to create an almost complete, growing more complete by the second giant academic magic circle.

With a growl the Evil Queen flew forward, towards her spawn.

She might have been blind sighted by this new trap but if she could just get her hands on her spawn, what was rightfully hers, then not all was lost! The cards of fate had been played to her advantage in this instance; she could sense the golems holding the struggling well in place.

She smirked viciously, without the other portals to draw power from; the well was especially vulnerable to her will. She sent her minions an extra boost in energy, allowing them to seal the well within a transporting pentagon and thus enabling them to drag the last portal to Wonderland the few dozen feet to campus. Right behind the fancy glowing line.

Soon the well would be trapped here with her and her spawn, just waiting to be torn open to the land it had tried so hard to protect.

But first she'd have to acquire the spawn, it would take both of them to rip open the veil between this world and Wonderland.

XXX

"Did you manage to get ahold of Wonderland?" Raven asked Maddie through her mirrorphone, the devise levitating beside her as she used her magic to jump her and Apple from the school window to a lawn sculpture, the sight of a deformed biological _thing_ peering up at them from the ground with three milky grey eyes making the princess squeal in disgust.

"Yeah we did. What is going on over there?" Kitty demanded poking her head over Maddie's shoulder.

"It looks like the Evil Queen has unleashed her golems." Raven reported grimly. "Getting Cerise, Briar, Daring out of here might be more difficult then I had originally thought."

"Why us and not you?" Cerise asked affronted as she and her two passengers landed on a nearby tree branch, the hooded girl pulling a face when Briar tried to use her magic to blow a hole through the blobish thing of flesh and goo, only for it to regenerate with a sickened squelch before her very eyes. It swiveled to their direction for a moment it's neck extending up as it hissed at them in warning before going back to gaze appraisingly at the witch and princess.

"Because, " The Raven stated, bitter irony lacing her tone, "I am the daughter of the Evil Queen, and Apple hold's my heart… the source of my power. Neither of us will be opposed by these." She turned to the creature and with a glare she barked. "_**BOW!**_" The creature immediately doing exactly as the witch fiercely commanded.

"That thing… not even a mother could love _that_ face." Kitty observed with a shudder, Maddie hummed in agreement.

"Things born of curses rarely do." The witch sighed.

"Curses you say…" Daring took out his sword and almost as if she was reading his mind Cerise jumped down to the ground allowing the boy to slice the being's head off.

It twitched for a second before melting into its base components, devoid of life.

"You killed it!" Apple cheered, holding her nose against the resulting stench of liquefied flesh and mysterious goo.

"I think that most of the credit would go to Raven and her sword polish made from that plant of hers." Daring pointed out a hint of pride in his voice.

"It worked." Raven laughed grinning widely. "It wasn't even designed to cut through curses and yet it actually worked! Okay now I think there might be a way for use to get out of here faster but we all have to work together. Maddie, kitty, I'll call you back when-"

"No Raven." Maddie shook her head. "You can run and keep your phone on at the same time." The girl told her best friend looking as deadly serious as she could ever get. "I want to make sure that you get over here safely."

"It is a good idea." Apple pointed out, looking at the witch knowingly. "If something happens, someone will know exactly what."

"Alright." Raven relented, secretly admitting to herself that she _would_ feel a little safer with a connection to the outside world nearby. "Now everyone listen up, here's my plan."

The plan had worked out quite well for a while, Apple and Raven took up the front, charging through different varieties of golem monsters who bowed respectfully as they ran past, Cerise brought up the rear, holding Daring and Briar in each arm, the two slicing or blowing up whatever tried to lift their heads (or what passed for heads) as they went by.

A loud boom filled the air.

"The Grimm Brothers have started up the quarantine shield!" Briar reported glancing up at the towering column of light with heart pounding in her throat.

"Almost there!" Raven roared, gripping Apple's hand tighter and trying to will her legs to pick up speed.

_Almost there, almost there, they had to make it, they had to, they just had to_!

The first indication of something being wrong had been the sudden relief of the vile tinge in the air dispelling, the three who could wield magic not even feeling one bit relieved because without the overwhelming aura of magic tainted with death it was little issue, even with numbed senses, to feel the presence of the Evil Queen herself rapidly zeroing in on them.

"She's gaining on us!" Apple shrieked picking up an amazing speed in heels.

Cerise tried to move faster, now hopping from shoulder to head on the hissing golems, trying to see her opening to race right out of there, a half plan to blink out and dump her charges off before running back crossing her mind.

They were just feet away from making it! It could work! If an opening would just show up long enough- there! Six golems had seen Raven and Apple coming and had already started to bow, creating a path that led strait out of the circle.

But before she could step into action something glowing dark purple and very painful hit her in the side causing her to lose her hold on Daring and the side of her hood to sear away.

Time seemed to move in slow motion for Apple as she felt the attack wiz above her and Raven, as she heard Cerise's pained yeowl, Briar's scream, and Daring's gasp of shock before he hit the ground with a distressing whump.

She didn't even think about it before her arm was out, glowing brightly, she- or more like _they_, for she and Raven seemed to move as one, planted on foot down and pivoted around, catching the two girls as they fell through the air with their magic and flinging them out of the circle to land safely into some bushes not too far away.

And then suddenly they could not move, the sensation of being utterly paralyzed not even sinking in before the purple aura enveloping them tried to rip the two away from the other.

The princess and witch let out simultaneous cries of despair as the hold on each other's hands continued to slip, slip, until they were broken apart.

Apple's heartbeat thudded thickly in her ears, paralyzed, she could sense nothing but the overwhelming stench of the Evil Queen's magic and Raven's feelings of fear. The princess left unable to do anything but try to look around within the limited worldview that she had, she knew that Briar and Cerise were off the school grounds but the princess was not certain about whether or not they had been injured. Raven's phone was nowhere in sight.

Daring, from what she could see of him, was lying on the ground. Lying very, very still. Tears began welling in her eyes when he didn't so much as twitch, let alone do something heroic as had been usual with him in all the adventures they had in the past.

And Raven, who was frozen just like she was, trapped just like Apple was, the witch was floating directly across from her, she could feel Raven push more and more of her power over to Apple, protecting Apple, shielding her from the Evil Queen's magic and at a cost that Apple could see, could_ feel_. Raven seemed to wither under the overwhelming weight of her mother's- no- _the Evil Queen's_ power. It felt as though Raven was crying from both the inside and out, wailing in fear and Apple, with tears spilling from her eyes tried to send out comfort to her, push back some of their power so that the witch could protect herself as well.

But it only half worked because while she could feel Raven greedily take all the comfort she could from the princess no matter how hard she pushed she could not transfer one ounce of power back to the witch.

"So." A voice spoke airily, hints of cold disgust lacing her words. Apple slowly turned her head, Raven's magic giving her the ability of performing a bit of movement, to where she could see the Evil Queen saunter over to them, hands on her barely covered hips, ethereal black hair floating behind her like a cape, the quarantine bubble beginning to close up behind the woman and around campus. "Out of all the pests to have stolen _my_ spawn's heart it just had to be _you_."


	16. The one with the evil speech

Author's note (Skip or no, whatevers):

Hopefully this will be over in another chapter or two and then we'll be seeing about that epilogue (if there is and epilogue) and move onto the side stories and spin-offs.

I did get a bit of writer's block because writing about a completely deranged evil villain who just seems to like hurting others for lulz was… surprisingly difficult. I wanted to give the Evil Queen some sense of depth but also keep her completely evil in a way that the readers (you) would still find her completely bat-dookie insane and not having any real good reason for doing bad things other than she is a bad person, a serial killing psychopath, and gets the happy fuzzies when her victim's scream in pain (because although the whole "I'm evil because I have a tragic backstory" is fun and easier to write but I have never tried to write about a monstrous mass murderer before and decided that this would be a good chance to do some research to try it out in this fic), I wanted her to be just _bad_.

I think I did a good job… maybe… although this is my first attempt at this kind of character and feedback is welcome on how I can make her even creepier in the next chapter.

Again thank you for the reviews! Getting feedback on what was the most successful has helped me write this and navigate the complicated plots. Thank you! Thank you so much!

I hope you like this chapter as well! On with the drama!

XXX

The one with the evil speech

XXX

"The spell has been cast." The Headmaster spoke quietly gripping his cane and closing his eyes, the light of the mid-to-late afternoon sun shown warmly through the tall gothic windows that surrounded the small room in the tallest tower of Ever After castle.

It seemed… wrong somehow that despite the deadly turn of events the weather seemed to be acting like it was just another nice sunny day.

"This shoudn't've happened." The Headmaster nearly whimpered head hung down in shame. "I knew that she was dangerous. That this might happen but…"

"But she's Elenore's." Giles finished for his brother.

"She tried so hard to get her daughter some help." Milton sighed still looking down, his hooded eyes fixed to the floor. "You… know more about that than me, I admit at the time I had been… less than mature in my actions. Leaving you to deal with her and to talk directly to Elenore instead of facing the both of them myself. Ancestors you must have seen me as one big coward, unable to even look Elenore's witchling in the eye just because her mother had created her from the seed of another, Elenore too must think poorly of me."

"You were hurting." Giles pointed out kindly heart breaking when he noticed that his brother was still speaking of Elenore in the present tense.

Giles had not yet the heart to report to his brother of the White family officially announcing her funeral procession to transpire in the autumn.

"You had missed your chance with the love of your life, I would be more concerned if you had not been shaken up by the situation, and it certainly did not help that Elenore's little one had turned into such a tiny terror." Giles tried to reason with his brother's guilt.

"I'm still baffled by that." Milton grumbled. "I may have been hiding myself away from Elenore like a coward but even I could see that she was doing everything within her power to ensure that her little one was loved and had the proper help that she needed… I just have no clue how things had turned out so… wrong. Even though she had an illness of the head, and that by no means must have been easy, I know that Elenore would have never given up on her daughter or to have let her roam free without supervision and medical assistance. Why? Why turn away a parent's unconditional love and support just to become a monster?"

"Life can be like a carton of eggs dropping to the floor." Giles spoke gently. "Some eggs crack some don't."

"I'm afraid that in my little one's case the egg had picked herself up and thrown herself back to the floor." Spoke a third, breathless female voice.

The two men jumped, spinning around to face the intruder.

The woman stands in a beam of warm sunlight, her translucent frame standing proud yet elegantly held upright, it almost seemed like she were a dainty porcelain doll come to life.

"E-Elenore!" Milton breathed, tears springing to his eyes. "Is that really you?"

"My spirit at any rate." The woman sighed glancing down at her missing left forearm and transparent body with a tired scowl.

The sour look is instantly wiped away when her gaze rests back on Milton Grimm. "I have missed you greatly beloved." The woman confesses her expression soft and longing.

"Elenore…" Milton stumbles forward nearly tripping over his feet to reach the woman. "Elenore." He speaks reaching his hands up to cup the air around her cheeks. "I-…" His breathing falters. "I can't touch you, can I? This is some sort of image illusion magic is it not?" He asks with dreading realization.

The witch huffs a sad laugh, if only she was still alive and her transparent body was just a projection. "Come now my darling Milton." She glows reaching her right arm up to gently cradle his hovering hand and guides it to her soft cheek. "When have I ever let the laws of the mortal realm stand in my way?" she speaks softly, pained that her life had ended and the way that things had been left between them had prevented the man before her from finding out the truth of her fate.

"Elenore." Milton sobs cradling her head as if it were the most precious thing in the world. "Elenore it's been so long…" He softly sobs laying his forehead against hers.

They stay like that for a heartbeat, two heartbeats.

"I am so sorry my precious beloved." Elenore whispers her voice filled with sorrow, even with the little time that she had and the danger presented to her granddaughter, she refused to leave this world without putting her regrets to rest. "I am sorry for all of the wrongs that my presence in your life had caused you."

Milton leans back an inch blinking wetly at the witch's words. "Wrongs? Oh Elenore you have never committed any wrongs towards me." He takes his free large hand and places it on the small of her back, hugging her close as if he feared that she would vanish. "What prompts you to think such things?"

"You are far too forgiving my beloved Milton." Elenore sighs weakly, wanting to cry yet lacking the ability, the life to do so. "I prevented you from having the life you so desired after our schooling days were over and… for being so cross with you for so long without thinking of how things were from your perspective, that I just could not let my feelings for you go and face you like the proper mature witch that I am supposed to be. First your courtship to me puts a rift between you and your father, having that month long affair with you while you were still engaged, with the little consequence resulting from it driving a deeper wedge between you and your father right before his death and breaking up your betrothal… it was little wonder the reply to my letter you sent back to me sounded so cold. A difficult situation turned hopelessly complicated in a matter of a few weeks."

Milton's mind reeled, he didn't remember the situation being like that at all, and he certainly did not remember any letters of that nature being written by his hand! He scowered his brain for anything regarding the mentioned letter, he knew that at the time of his engagement, sometimes when he was drunk and he was depressed about having to marry someone he didn't even like he would write long, drunken love poems to Elenore, and endless letters begging her to forgive his decision to break up with her and to take him back, preferably after she had poisoned his fiancé and her brother and her brother's valet with something that would turn them into swamp rats or something of that nature, save him from marrying into such a miserable family.

Those poems and letters had never been sent of course, and his father would never allow such a union to happen between a Grimm and a Queen, especially not his firstborn son, and woe he was to admit it at the time Milton had been so certain of his fate that he would not have gone with Elenore even if she had asked.

More importantly he still did not remember _ever_ writing anything harboring hatred or coldness towards the witch.

"Letter?" Milton asked feeling lost. "What letter?"

Elenore's expression turned puzzled. "The letter I wrote to you about my pregnancy. The one where I informed you that you were about to become a father?"

The large man's eyes triple in size.

"Surely you have not forgotten such an important document! Let alone your own return reply telling me to think about our reputations and the greater good of _my_ daughter's fairytale! You told me to forget that I ever had any relationship with you!" Elenore exclaimed smacking him in the arm with the hand she still had. "Even when drunk off of that special Wonderlandian tea your recollections of the hilarious consequence of that little adventure were near perfect!"

"I'm a… I'm a father?" Milton's voice was high and airy.

"Grandfather now, what with our little Clawstorm birthing her little witchling Raven some time ago." Elenore reminded dryly.

The man sputtered. "Are you saying that Raven-? _Raven Queen_ is my- she's _my_ granddaughter? How? Well I know how but-." The man continued to ramble on.

Elenore eyed Milton suspiciously. "You did know about all of this… right?"

"I knew nothing of the sort!" Milton squeaked, he blushed clearing his throat and continued on at a lower, more dignified voice level. "I never received any letter from you after that month I swear it! If I had I would have never said such things let alone leave you to raise a child all by yourself!" He swore utterly flabbergasted.

"If you didn't write that… that horrible letter to me then who did? The handwriting, the speech patterns… that little nickname you gave me that I made you promise to only use when we were alone… then who did?" The witch hissed; if she were still alive she'd be blushing from head to toe by now from both rage and embarrassment.

Giles pulled himself out of his paled shocked stupor (because first of all; Elenore was a ghost back from the dead… how she had managed that was… he didn't even want to think about it, and second; his brother didn't even seem to realize that his past lover was a ghost! How, Giles was certain that it had to do with the fact that one of the talents Elenore had was the natural affinity for astral projection and it's various forms so if one did not know better it would be natural to assume something of that sort), an idea- no, a thought entered his mind and suddenly he knew without a doubt what had happened.

He turned to the side, looking to the floor with hands on his hips. "Dearest father, I hope that from whatever hell you have found yourself in that you are seeing the disastrous consequences of your shameful meddling!" Giles told the rug sternly.

The couple looked at one another with wide eyes.

"You father?" Elenore asked feeling somewhat violated (that nickname had been extremely private after all) "He wouldn't have… would he have?"

Milton winced looking pained. "He would- did. He did. He did do this." The man sighed, his head felt like it was spinning from the full force of all of this new information, his hands moved to clasp the witches. "Elenore I-" Milton paused when his hand grasped air where Elenore's elbow and forearm should have been.

The man looked down then back up to Elenore's face.

"Elenore…?" Milton asked sounding small, swallowing thickly he tried to ignore the way his stomach dropped. "What happened to your arm?"

"My daughter has it." Elenore closed her eyes and shook her head quickly; she would have breathed a deep stabilizing breath but being dead meant that she had no breath to draw. "We- well _you_ are going to have to sort that out later. My time in this world is short and our granddaughter is in danger." She lifts the hand that Milton still holds, managing to twist enough of her hand free of his tightened one and placed it over the spot of his chest where his heart was.

"Elenore what do you mean that your time in this world is short?" Milton looks at the witch, trying to catch her eye, trying to stop his mind from suggesting things that were- well _should _be impossible.

"I'm sorry my love but you are just going to have to bare with me." Elenore gave no warning as her hand passed through Milton's chest and a pale violet glow started to emit from deep within his ribcage before spreading to his entire body.

Milton looked down at his glowing body; his shock slackened his hand enough for Elenore to pull away.

"Elenore… this is… is this?" Milton gasped holding up his hand and staring at the glowing appendage until the witch's magic faded back into his skin.

The witch smiled sadly at him. "I didn't want to take it back, even when I was angry with you I still loved you too much to hunt you down and reclaim it. My heart may not give you the ability to wield my powers like little Apple seed can with our granddaughter… but it will be enough to protect you from a direct hit, and prolong my stay here."

She turns to Giles. "Do you still have that flying carpet that I gave you for your eighteenth birthday? Or one of your do-dads that can transport this one to ground level fairly quickly?"

Giles pulls out the mentioned carpet from a pouch attached to his belt (Wonderlandian crafted storage compartments, always useful for any situation). "Always carry it with me whether for emergencies or to race Lady Baba Yaga around campus." He shoved the magical device into his brother's shock still hands. "I'll keep an eye on things here."

"Thank you." Elenore smiles before passing through the wall and flying down to the scene below.

"Elenore wait- holy ancestors what is going on down there?" Milton quickly unrolled the carpet when he saw that Apple White and Raven Queen were suspended in mid air and the Evil Queen was in front of them gesturing fanatically.

"Go." Giles ordered. "I'll slow down the circle's progress and take care of the rest of the defenses."

Hesitantly Milton nodded before opening a window and popping out the safety screen.

XXX

Apple clawed and gestured as much as she could, her mouth worked to get her voice out, to get even a small rude sound out as the Evil Queen watched her with bored interest.

"Let her go!" Apple finally snarled using a particularly rude hand gesture, surprising herself that she could speak. It had taken a few minutes before the princess had both gathered enough courage to break out of her shocked stupor and for the Raven's magic to work out something to enable the princess to talk. Raven's magic must have done more than just shield her against the Evil Queen's magic Apple assumed fleetingly.

"No_ you_ let _her_ go." The Evil Queen growled back returning Apple's gesture with an even ruder one. "The spawn is mine! Not some pretty toy for a whiny princess to play with!"

"Raven is not yours!" Apple insisted gesturing some more. "And she is not going to go along with whatever your evil plan is! She doesn't want to be evil like you she wants to forge her own path!"

"Oh is that what you have been feeding her?" The Evil Queen accused getting creative with her hands and producing a few movements that actually managed to make Apple blush. "My spawn is hardly of sound mind to make any decisions on her own thanks to what you have done to her! Don't you think that I can't see? Look at what you have done to her power! You've corrupted a masterpiece, my greatest creation's beautiful power twisted up and being fed off of by an airheaded leach! Who knows what kind of lies you've brainwashed her with to make her bend to your will just to get at her power!"

Apple scoffed. "Trust me lady there is nothing in this world that can make Raven do anything she doesn't want to, that's kinda what makes Raven,_ Raven_." The princess looks to Raven with a fond expression. "It's one of the many things that I've grown to admire the most about her."

Raven allowed for a brief twitch of the lips of a tiny smile towards Apple before turning her attention sharply back to the situation at hand when the Evil Queen made an indignant snort.

"Oh please would you just quit with these manipulative lies? You foul human royal princesses are all the same; never caring about anything other than your pathetic miserable fairytale duties and your own foul reflections!" The woman snarled at the princess pointed teeth bared, she then turned to Raven, a pitying expression on her face as she stepped closer.

"Don't listen to these sugar coated lies spawn she'd sooner see you to the burning stake if she didn't have your powers to play with, that's all she wants." The woman crooned reaching up to gently trail her long nails down Raven's terrified face and lips.

"Listen well to your creator's words my little masterpiece; you mustn't let yourself become so attached humans and their lesser kin, that was the mistake that our ancestors made and look where it got them! Jealous of powers that they don't possess and wouldn't have the slightest idea of how to use it if they tried, so what did they do? They hunted us in a mass slaughter, drove those of us who had the most talent for survival to insanity, and when their pathetic campaign to wipe us out failed they dared cast us into their stories as the scary villains! We, who had been hunted like mere animals and they dared be shocked by those of us that did what needed to be done for the sake of our own survival?" The Evil Queen roared dark poisoned purple magic swirling around her like a flame.

Raven tried to flinch back from the onslaught beating against her thinning shields but the woman's magic held fast to her frame in a paralyzing vice grip that felt overwhelmingly violating.

"The fairytales are nothing but a mockery to anything that does not apply to the human agenda." The Evil Queen's voice dropped down to conspiring tones. "You have noticed have you not that it is always the fully human monarchs who always get their happy endings? The hapless human princess or maiden who does nothing but whine and cry about how their lives are so unfair, and wait pathetically for someone else to make things better, the Prince Charming, always the Prince Charming, whose depicted like the most brilliant being in the world just because he is pretty and just so happened to be lucky enough to defeat the witch. Never mind that the perfect prince has a foot fetish, or took advantage of an unconscious woman, or fell so rapturously in love with what he thought was a woman's corpse he can't help but open up her coffin to steal a kiss from her lifeless form!"

The Evil Queen paused her sour expression dropping to something closer to contemplative amusement; she chuckled to herself. "It's truly pathetic when you think about it in those terms… if they weren't making such vermin of themselves I can almost pity those idiotic fools for trying to emulate such sorry excuses for historical heroes."

Apple growled lowly white magic spiking around her but refrained from speaking her outrage the moment she glanced over to Raven's face, the younger witch giving the princess that all too familiar look that was a signal for Apple to keep her mouth shut (normally reserved for those times when Darling would ask Raven for her opinion on which types of armor and weapon materials withstood magical attacks best or whenever Cerise started grumbling on how ridiculous and worthless damsel-in-distressing was) but this time the princess could feel Raven's fear for Apple's life if she dared speak at the current moment.

Anger aside Apple couldn't help but admit to herself that she was scared too.

"Aside from of my ranting's of historical relevance and questionable idiotic traditions my point is that this place was hardly the right environment to raise you in." The Evil Queen sighed, placing one hand on Raven's shoulder while running fingers into Raven's hair and scalp with the other in a way that made the younger witch twitch in revulsion.

"Especially with your current state, ooh just look at what they have done to you. They've taken my sweet little curse and turned her into a little toy for some _princess wench_ to ravish." The Evil Queen cradled Raven's head to her bosom; the woman's skin feeling cold against Raven's cheek and the sickly sweet scent of irony blood clogged her nose making the younger witch have to swallow down a gag.

"I tried to protect you." The Evil Queen continued to croon oblivious to Raven's discomfort. "The plan had been to take revenge on our family's ancestral enemy by either eliminating all worthy matches for suitors or to simply redirect the instruments to project a most disagreeable suitor, but then once I saw the truth, that the vile magic that surrounds fairytale characters had bonded you to that… _human_ _wench_ as her future suitor I simply could not let that stand-"

"Wait are you saying that the instruments used to detect proper matches had originally said that _Raven_ was my future suitor?" Apple blurted out her mind momentarily distracted from more pressing issues.

A Snow White was only to marry a Prince Charming, the only possible matches ever tested were of those from Charming families, so (if the Evil Queen wasn't lying) why would the match finding tools show Raven when no one would be looking to see if anyone in the Queen family was a match?

The princess gulped when the Evil Queen zeroed her slatted glowing eyes right onto her.

"Not as long as I live and breathe." The Evil Queen swore coldly. "Fairytales and destiny be damned, hell has a better chance of getting a chilly sunny day then me ever willingly allowing my spawn to become apart of someone else's happy ending!" The woman declared gripping Raven's arm with a force that hurt when her long nails dug into pale flesh. "Yes the instruments found you to be a match for her, but I refused to allow it, so I reversed the magical mechanisms and found a Charming prince whose kiss would never awaken you. A backup precaution just incase I was unable to destroy the world and protect my spawn from you."

"You what?" Apple yelped outraged.

"What's-his-face was supposed to play the part of the beast for his fairytale." The Evil Queen shrugged nonchalantly, her eyes bearing onto Apple with poisoned hatred. "Just a little extra insult to injury for you, though I suppose you wouldn't have been able to appreciate your supposed prince turning into a horrifying creature as fully as everyone else, seeing as you would never be able to open your eyes to see it."

"But what about Raven?" Apple asked tears pricking her eyes. "She would have died if your plan had worked! Didn't you think about that?"

The Evil Queen rolled her eyes. "Of coarse I considered it you idiot, however unlike you weakling humans us witches are far less likely to wilt over a broken heart especially if that witch had another, more worthy witch's heart to replace the one that had to be… disposed of due to being contaminated by human ilk."

"You would rip away your only daughter's heart and then just replace it with some stranger's?" Apple gaped horrified.

"Not a stranger's you fool!" The Evil Queen roared. "The spawn is _my_ creation, created to _perfection_, if there was a heart more worthy to replace my spawn's it would be _mine_!"

Raven closed her eyes looking pained, not even having to see to know that Apple had paled in shock, the witch could feel the princess's nausea at the thought.

"She's your_ daughter_!" Apple screeched at the older woman. "How could you possibly think that such a unhealthy union would be in Raven's best interest?"

"I am her creator!" The Evil Queen corrected clutching Raven closer. "I did not makemy spawn just to simply procreate and continue on the family name, I created her to be my champion, the greatest living weapon the known worlds have ever had the privilege to set eyes upon! It was her superior blood I used to formulate my curses, the perfection of her selective breeding making it_ impossible_ for those fools to ever hope to dispel it!"

Apple was stunned into silence as the woman before her began to glow, her magic tainted with the screams of agony and the begging for mercy from her past victims. Raven let out a pained cry forcing her mother to stop and tone back her power, patting the girl on the head in apology before turning back to Apple.

"Besides do you truly believe that you would be best for my creation? You aren't even of worthy enough blood for me to even consider you a necessary evil to allow you to be with my spawn." The Evil Queen sneered looking at the princess up and down. "I made certain that the mixed blend of my spawn's blood heritage was perfect! Such a high caliber witchling born of this royal blood is surely far superior to yours princess!" The Evil Queen hissed releasing Raven to round onto the blonde.

"First she is a witchling to the _Queen clan_ the direct descendants of the ancient _order of the Excalibur sword_ and the royal children born from the _Lady of the Lake_, I carefully did my research and hunted down and seduced the heir to the human clan of _Kings_ and the last known descendant of _King Arthur_, and finally the only decent thing that I had inherited from my worthless father was the blood of the family that wrote the _Book of Legends_. You, little pest aren't even worthy of setting your gaze upon my spawn let alone using her powers as your own like some kind of blonde haired leech!" The Evil Queen shouted growing more and more worked up by the second.

"I'm not a leech!" Apple glared right back at the woman, meeting her eye with a gaze made from steel. "And I am not hanging around Raven just because I hold her witches heart!"

The Evil Queen scoffed. "Since when has a human ever cared about anything other than power, reputation, and their looks? Doesn't this bond complicate your fairytale princess? If not for the power you now wield then why else would you be so determined to do this _"Hanging around"_ my spawn? Hmm? Surely under plainer circumstances you would be screaming your little head off about being bound to a _witch_."

"Because I love her that's why!" Apple roared making both witches eyes go wide. "I don't care about my destiny or duty, I. Love. Raven. I want to build a life with her by my side, I want to kiss her, marry her… make love to her, have a whole bunch of witchlings that look like her, _with_ her, I want to spend the rest of my life with her and falling even more in love with her with each passing day! What's a destiny and a change in my name if I can't have Raven?" The princess proclaimed trying to send as much of her true feelings for Raven through their open link, desperate to have Raven understand and believe her before it was too late.

Raven's heart warmed the magical glow surrounding the two girls doubling in size, tears leaked out of Raven's eyes as she felt the assault of Apple's true feelings fill her from the inside out.

Raven tried to reach out towards Apple, her arm Agonizingly slow as it moved through the tainted magic restraining her.

"A-App- Ah!" Raven tried to speak but the Evil Queen spun on her heel and clamped down on the younger witch with her magic, muttering a curse over Raven's pained sounds until sound no longer escaped Raven's lips.

"Enough of this!" The woman seethed, raising the two high in the air and farther apart. "I will not let anything stand in the way of my- _our_ victory over the world, not even your _True Love bond_ to my spawn will stand in my way!"

Apple's eyes widened. "True… Love?" She whispered the puzzle pieces shifting into place inside the princess's mind.

Lying as still and as inconspicuous as possible on the ground Daring slowly tightened his grip on his sword, turning his head ever so minutely to get a better eye on his target.

"What else did you think it was?" The Evil Queen scoffed. "Even the strongest of witch's hearts cannot share magical power equally between a witch and a non-magical-user!"

A blur of a red something pushed the woman harshly to the ground as it ran past the Evil Queen and out of sight.

"Who dares-" The woman growls as she picks herself back up, magic infused fists held up at the ready, but is interrupted when a bolt of light purple magic wizzes by her head forcing the Evil Queen to duck and cover, nearly falling on top of Daring's prone form.

That was when things started to happen rather quickly.

Apple had barely enough time to hear Briar desperately scream out Cerise's name before she saw the Evil Queen rise, magic at the ready to smite her attacker but only barely making it to her feet before Daring sprung into action with a mighty battle cry, slashing his sword across the woman's chest making her let out a ear blistering inhuman sound of pain.

And then Apple was falling, almost in slow motion she could feel Raven not thinking but acting on instinct and want as she figuratively gripped their magic and flung the princess outside the quickly closing seems of the quarantine bubble, Raven's magic slowing the princess's decent even as she flailed in mid air, trying desperately to run back and grab Raven.

"Nonononono!" The princess spoke desperately when she touched ground, however she was unable to run fast enough and right in front of her eyes the quarantine bubble closed, sealing her out and Raven inside with the Evil Queen.

XXX

Briar dragged Cerise's whimpering form behind the trees lining the path to freedom. Propping the wolf child on her side against a tree once they were what the princess deemed a safe distance away for her companion to be patched up.

Cerise tried to sit up once the shock of being hit but not being dead was fully realized. "I… can… walk on my own y'know. Just need a second to get my wind back." Cerise whispered, gasping in pain when the mage princess pointedly leaned over and pressed her magic against the large burn along the back of Cerise's flank.

"You are _so lucky_ that basic magical healing is required for all mages, even ones who aren't supposed to be using their powers at all. Bite on this." Briar grumbled ripping what was left of Cerise's belt off of the girl and handing it to the wolf-girl to bite down on before concentrating on her magic while her hand hovered from the very base of the visible wound all the way up to the torn edges of Cerise's hood, the prone girl trying to smother her howls of pain while biting on her belt so hard that she was sure that by the end of this she would have bitten through the tough material.

"I'm going to touch your ear ok?" Briar warned before gingerly feeling the oddly healthy looking fuzzy ear. Cerise sighed into the touch, relieved that there was _something_ that _did not hurt_.

Briar eyed the one under her critically. "It looks like whatever your hood was made out of saved you from a missing or damaged ear. Seems to me like anything that it did cover got saved from the attack." Briar diagnosed, reaching into her purse for her first aid kit. "The burns on your side may look nasty and they will sting for a long while but they should be fine once they are dressed properly. Can you sit up and peel off your top so that I can get to those?"

"Yeah." Cerise mumbled around the belt spitting it out before swallowing and moving to sit up. "I was stunned there for a moment but…" She moved her upper body side to side experimentally. "I think that I can ignore the discomfort long enough to get up and go."

"We need to save them." Briar spoke, all business as she peered around a tree to see the Evil Queen and Apple gesturing rudely at one another. "Spinning needles is she trying to get herself killed?" Briar gaped at the scene for a second longer before going back to patching up the now half bare wolf-girl.

Cerise cocked her head, listening. "She's trying to buy time." She assured with a confidant nod.

"Then we'd better hurry." Briar declared taking out a spray jar. "Put that belt back into your mouth this is gonna hurt."

"Is that the perfume that Raven and Cedar made?" Cerise asked suspiciously.

"If a sword polisher made from our little wonder plant was enough to kill those golem things then this'll be enough to take care of anything nasty that crazy bag of nuts might've done to you." Briar uncapped the bottle and Cerise quickly put the belt back into her mouth.

Briar had been right it did sting. A whole lot, but she had also been right about there being… something left over from the Evil Queen's attack, magic fizzed and sparked out of existence over Cerise's damaged skin and clothes.

"I think it's dead now." Briar took the mangled belt back out of Cerise's mouth and tried to extend her senses to try to feel out anything that might've stubbornly stayed on Cerise but her magical senses were either just too numb to feel anything or the spray was highly effective.

Cerise held back a flinch as the princess proceeded to dress her wounds. "If we're going to be saving anybody we need to think fast about what we can do." She warned the other. "Any ideas?"

"It's no secret that Raven and the professors have been working on a serum to fight off the Evil Queen's curse, and maybe, if we're lucky, that stuff is a whole lot stronger than the perfume or the sword polish." Briar murmured unconsciously rubbing soothing circles into the undamaged flesh on Cerise's back. "Maybe it might be enough to weaken her-"

Briar cut herself off when Cerise stiffened and snarled.

"Cerise?" The princess asked in concern, finding herself stiffening as she felt the increase in… something coming from the trees and plants surrounding her before slightly, just enough to be noticed if one was paying attention, the plants all seemed to lean towards the school campus.

Cerise made a humming whimpering noise as she sniffed the air. "Faybelle and Cedar are close by." The wolf-child murmured. "But something's… off about Cedar, I can't put my finger on it."

"Faybelle…" Briar growled gritting her teeth. She briskly helped Cerise back into what was left of her clothes, there was a large, singed tear in the side of the dress but between the sports bra, which was mostly intact, the bandages hiding more exposed skin, and the chewed up belt holding the tear closed Cerise was near-modestly presentable. "I knew that she's all about "family honor" but I didn't think that her loyalty would ever get to the point of becoming _suicidal_!"

"Yeah well we might need them." Cerise growled darkly. "The sick lady's going to use Raven as a _living weapon_!"

"What?" Briar's eyes widened.

"She said something about how she used Raven's blood to help formulate the curse she put on Wonderland… she said that Raven was no accident, the Evil Queen intentionally sought out Raven's father to help conceive her because she believes that the Queen and King families are descended from some major players from King Arthur's time, apparently some old scroll says that the Queens are somehow related to the Lady of the Lake and the Kings-"

"Are descendants to King Arthur himself." Briar finished. "I know I've heard the rumors that before things went south Mordred bore a child out of wedlock with some ancestor to the King family but because the mother hadn't been nearly important enough in status at the time and the child born was said to be a _girl_ and not a _boy_…"

"The humans refused to recognize her as the heir to the throne and the kingdom of Camelot descended into chaos and war for a while until the White family managed to conquer the area and turn it into the land of Ever After." Cerise blinked with wide eyes. "Wait can that possibly be true?"

"It doesn't matter whether it's true or not, a psycho lady believes that it's true and she's got our friends hostage and is probably going to get one of them killed by using her as a freaking biological weapon!" Briar insisted heatedly. "We need to get our hands on some of that new potion a-and figure out whether to pour it on Raven or psycho lady because they are both obviously connected to the curse on Wonderland and if one is doused then… maybe we can save Raven, save Apple, save everybody!"

Cerise looked at the princess, her eyes softened. "I have a plan." She said. "But it involves you running across the river to help Hunter and Ashlynn prepare everybody for what's about to happen."

Briar's eyes widened. "Cerise don't-"

"They need your help keeping everyone from freaking out Briar." Cerise looked the princess in the eyes. "You know I'm right-"

"This is insanity!" Briar whispered loudly.

"The quarantine bubble is almost complete." Cerise reported. "If one of us stands a better chance of out-running anything and everything in there it's me. There are enough people who are already in danger, and I don't want you to be one of them."

"I'm not letting you go in there alone!" Briar hissed back. "You're injured-"

"But still able to run-"

"Run right into your early death!"

"And I fully look forward to you later handing me my own ass for going through with this-"

"Who said anything about later? I'll hand it to you right now for even thinking that I'll let you go through with this!"

"Ah but this little endeavor to run in on my own is not what you will be going after me for, when I said that you'll be handing me my own ass I meant that you'll be angry at me for a whole other reason." Cerise raised a finger to the sky as if she were making a point in a class project discussion.

"Another reason?" Briar gritted out leaning forward to the other girl, eyeing Cerise with a dangerous glare.

"Yes, an action that I assure you is not something that is just in the heat of the moment and that I truly mean from the bottom of my heart." Cerise leaned forward as well, heart speeding up as she temped fate by being so close with one of the strongest alpha females she had ever met.

"What are you talking about Cerise?" Briar's tone was low and deadly; she decidedly did not like the way this was going.

Cerise leaned even closer, Briar could feel the other's breath against her chin and bottom lip.

"I'm talking about this." Was Cerise's only warning before pressing her dry lips against Briar's glossy ones.

The kiss lingered for only a second before Cerise pulled back, backing out of Briar's reach when the princess moved to grab her.

"I like you Briar Beauty. As in _like_ you, like you. I promise to try and survive long enough to see your beautiful face glaring at me." And with that Cerise blinked out of sight.

"Cerise!" Briar screamed, jumping to her feet and taking off running. "Cerise, stop please! You're going to get yourself killed! Cerise!"

XXX

Most students taking shelter by the river flinched when they heard an enraged shriek of pain coming from the direction of the campus for a moment before being abruptly cut off. They shifted and murmured nervously as they eyed the giant clear bubble surrounding Ever After castle.

"What's going on over there?" Hunter asked worriedly.

"Has anyone heard back from Apple or Raven?" Ashlynn called out to the murmuring camp.

Shaking heads and affirmations to the negative was what she got in response.

"Do you think that they're going to be alright?" Hunter asked in a whisper as he pulled his girlfriend to the side.

Ashlynn narrowed her eyes. "I think that now is the time to track down someone that knows what's going on and help them out in whatever way we are capable." She murmured.

Charlotte walked out of the medical tent, looking around seemingly lost. "Has anyone seen my cousin recently?" She called out only to be met with some head shaking of her own.

Ginger paused in her brewing to look around suspiciously (she had grown up with Faybelle after all and it would be just like the fairy to find trouble when she should have stayed still) before motioning Charlotte over, the two witches talking in hushed whispers.

"Let's investigate that first." Hunter suggested. "Knowing Faybelle she's probably wrapped herself up right in the middle of this."

Before the princess could agree Maddie popped out of the tree line speaking to Hunter and Ashlynn in quick, panicked sentences that seemed to be impossible to comprehend, let alone decipher, she grabbed their hands and with surprising strength for her size and she dragged the protesting couple off, back into the trees.

"Should we investigate?" Cupid asked Blondie her voice holding a slight echo with each word spoken.

Blondie hummed regarding her winged roommate, the reporter noted that despite being safely across the river Cupid had stayed in her "goddess mode", acting almost like Blondie's very intimidating bodyguard the whole time.

"Yes." The reporter decided. "But not in an official capacity, right now we only snoop as concerned friends, not reporters."

Blondie hesitated looking at Cupid a little longer. "You… you are able to sense what is really going on, you said once that one of your abilities is to detect emotion, that your senses are better than most magic-users… it's… it's bad isn't it?"

Cupid gently curled her wing around Blondie, comfortingly, protectively.

"Yes." The winged girl confessed softly. "It's bad."

XXX

The first thing Raven's mind comprehended was being caught mid-fall by something muscular and the scent of burnt flesh, wet grass, and sandalwood, the next thing she was able to comprehend was that whatever had caught her was roughly moving her away, panic was evident in her savior's movements which in turn caused Raven's thoughts to jar into a jumbled indecipherable mass until the two of them dropped to the ground.

The first _comprehensible_ thought to enter the witch's brain was to make sure that Apple had escaped being trapped inside the quarantine shield, looking around in the direction where she was semi-certain she had come from it did not take more than a half a second to spot Apple, pounding away at the slightly glowing transparent shield separating Ever After High from the rest of the world, her screams of Raven's name could not be heard within the barrier but Raven could feel Apple's pleads from somewhere deep within, where their bond resided. The glowing princess furiously hit the shield harder and harder with her fists making the skin of the magic circle ripple and wobble beneath Apple's desperate attempts to get back in.

Briar appeared down the path, racing forth to grab the other princess and hold her back, Apple seeming to scream all the louder as she struggled in her friend's arms.

Apple was in pain, Raven could feel this, but without a means to make it all better the witch could only console herself to the fact that Apple was safe out _there_ and not within her moth- _the_ _Evil Queen's_ reach.

The Evil Queen, Raven discovered as she turned her head to the side, had found herself huddling on her knees, and clutching her wounded chest as she sat trapped within a far smaller magic circle; her pained grunts could clearly be heard in the now silent space.

"You despicable witch!" The Evil Queen seethed to a transparent glowing one-armed woman who stood tall as she watched the other in disapproval. "Why couldn't you have _stayed dead_? Was the thought of being surpassed by _me_ so bad that you had to _freaking haunt me_ just to prove that you're more _powerful_?"

The strange woman rolled her eyes. "Is that what you _really_ think that this is all about Clawstorm? _Power_?"

"Don't call me that!" The younger roared. "It's _the Evil Queen_ now! The evilest and most powerful pure being to ever grace these lands!"

"Humble as ever I see." The one-armed woman noted dryly with another roll of the eyes.

The arms encircling Raven gave the witch a little squeeze. "You alright Raven?" Daring's whispering voice sounded pained, scared, and when the witch turned to look at him the prince was scraped up and had burned holes cut into the left side and arm of his jacket revealing seared skin but Raven couldn't find much mind to care at the moment because the boy was so very much alive!

The young witch chirped happily turning in his arms to hug the prince around his neck (being as mindful as she could of his scrapes and burns) and kiss his cheek; her mouth moving to form words but the only sound that seemed to escape was the occasional squeak from her vocal cords.

Daring ran a scraped knuckle gently along Raven's windpipe. "How many more times is that woman going to curse you?" The prince sighed before drawing the witch into a hug.

"Thank you." He spoke to the strange transparent woman. "That must have taken a lot of courage to face your killer like this."

Elenore chuckled warmly. "Well what kind of witch would I be if I couldn't even stand up to my own daughter to protect my only granddaughter."

The two teenager's eyes widened, Raven whipping her head around and turning in Daring's arms to stare incredulously at the eldest witch, she squeaked confusingly at the woman who only chuckled some more.

"It is good to finally introduce myself to you my beloved granddaughter." Elenore smiled at the girl soberly. "I know that our last first meeting had been less than ideal but at the very least I do hope that you enjoyed my gifts while growing up, I know that those brussel sprouts are an acquired taste but little Apple seed had assured me that when the taste buds are magicked to taste kiwis instead of brussel sprouts the ordeal of eating them is far less horrid."

Raven huffed out a shocked breath, squeaking slightly as she gave the older witch a watery smile.

"Elenore! Miss Queen!" The Headmaster called as he flew down to the ground, hopping of the magic carpet with difficulty and hobbling his way over.

Raven stood up to help the limping man only to squeak in surprise when she was swept up into a bear hug, her eyes widening further when the Headmaster gave her grandmother an equally strong one-armed hug and kissed the woman's temple.

The Evil Queen rolled her eyes, grunting in pain as she moved to stand up. "Oh goodie my little spawn has met the grandmother and has been witness to the reunion of her grandparents, be still my unfeeling heart." The woman mutters sarcastically. "Now enough of this nonsense! Hand my spawn back to me old man, I'd much rather keep you alive long enough to see the world crumble beneath my feet- _my and my spawn's feet_ out of family obligation, but if you continue to poison my spawn and lead her away from her destiny then I will have no choice but to take the same action upon my father that I had to bestow onto my meddling mother!" the woman demanded heatedly.

Raven squeaked wide-eyed up at the Headmaster her mouth moving fast despite her inability to speak hindering her intention of getting her words out, Daring did not know who to look at, his head swiveled around to everyone present with a look of utter shock.

"You do not have to do this Clawstorm!" Milton begged holding Raven tight, glancing between Elenore and the Evil Queen, his mind worked to understand what precisely happened between the two women but continued to come up short because the only logical answer to his questions was impossible. Elenore was there, transparent but solid to the touch, still able to work magic; perhaps her body was being held somewhere? "I know that you always wanted to be the evilest villain in existence but I beg of you to think about the consequences of cursing the worlds! What honor is there in this? Would you truly wish to raise your witchling in a world without Wonderland's wonder? For her to live in a world of war and destruction?"

The Evil Queen regarded the man with an unimpressed gaze. "Hmph, figures." The woman huffed closing her eyes serenely. "You didn't even bat an eye when I told you that you were my father. I suppose you did know after all, if I had not sought out the vestiges of the original greatest evil and removed my weak cares towards family and the lives of others I might go as far to say that I would've been hurt but then again since I'm free of those restricting emotions that's an abstract guess at best."

"W-what?" Milton's eyes widen.

"She sought out the spot where the first greatest evil had fallen to the hands of our ancestors." Elenore's voice was somberly grim. "It had been believed that the greatest evil's physical form had been defeated and buried long ago; however the very last traces of that power had merely been slumbering on for years, waiting for someone like Clawstorm to come along."

The Evil Queen opens her eyes smiling widely. "Waiting for _me_." The witch beamed. "Waiting for a worthy powerful master to wield its greatness and continue on where it's past master had failed. It chose me as the one who was worthy enough to conquer the worlds, _me_!"

"Why would you seek out a power that almost wiped out nearly every living thing in existence?" The Headmaster gaped horrified.

"Because the fairytales and the purpose of the Book of Legends don't make any sense." The Evil Queen stated as if it should have been an obvious answer. "I spend most of my life being told that I must seek out to emulate this powerful witch and poison the heir to a kingdom to keep her from being the fairest in the land, but then I am told that I am supposed to willingly let the prince save the hapless girl and give it all up after my story is finished. I was scolded for not acting evil enough when I first met the princesses and maidens and yet when I did what they wanted me to they screamed, ran away from me and called me a monster. It did not make sense that I was to work so hard to become so powerful and hated by all and then to just give up on it all in some idiotic human ceremony to welcome in the new queen and her arranged suitor to the throne, a throne of which I was supposed to pretend I had and never try my hand at actually taking it over as my evil training had instructed me to do."

"There was more to it than that the fairytales did not make sense to you." Elenore admonished. "Giles and I had explained the concept to you more than enough times to get the point across, your desire to go this far is of your own design and your need to seek out a dangerous magical power instead of coming to me for help was completely of your own will as well!"

The Evil Queen holds the cut edges of her stolen garment closed as stands up a little straighter, wincing as the gash cutting across her collar bone, sternum, and the wing of her right ribs became aggravated. "My, my, my mother, you were serious when you said all those years ago that you refused to feel guilty for my actions. Yes, that is true, Giles and mother had explained to me that all of the pomp and circumstance of the Book of Legends was an ancient ritual that invoked the fairytale magic and traditions of our ancestors to protect us in the event when the great evil returned, and for a while I had been mollified into compliance, but that still did not keep my mind from returning to my main two unanswered questions, for if it was just a ceremony then why was my life so affected by it? Why must I be labeled and feared for the rest of my life for merely my inherited blood casting me into the roll of a villain? Why demand that I do evil things only to run away from me screaming when I did as asked? I know that my mother had kept a balance between being evil and being admired by all of her classmates but no matter how hard I tried I just could not seem to grasp onto such a balance. My weak emotions caused me to grow lonely and irritable as a result, some days I would plot for hours my revenge, seeking out forbidden magics to make me stronger, but then on other, nicer days my caring for those that did not place me in a constant confusion and tried being… nice to me always gave me enough pause to stop what I was doing."

The Evil Queen rolled her eyes in disgust. "I can't believe how much of a weakling I had been back then, fortunately I had seen the light right after my job as Evil Queen ended and the current Snow White had been crowned, she and her fellow princesses had been so happy while I had been cast aside as nothing more than a tool, an instrument that was no longer of use to anybody, something that had to throw away all of this power and potential once the wedding ceremony was complete. But I did not want to let it go, I refused to hide in the shadows and throw away my life, instead I sought help from a power that understood me best, I removed my personal limitations, and built onto my title an entierly new definition to the term evil villain! And I created the perfect successor to accompany my rampage, my champion and spawn!"

The Evil Queen glowed, raising the bone wand up, and straining her power against Elenore's magic circle, the golems who had previously been frozen in their tracks groaned back to life and began to sluggishly move around. Elenore growled fading even more out of existence as she tried to keep hold on her daughter's prison. "I- we are perfect! The two most powerful beings to walk these lands! And soon all of the known worlds will cower before me- us!" The Evil Queen bellowed.

A brief instant, a stretched weak point in the circle's skin, the Evil Queen taking advantage to outstretch her hand, wand grasped within her palm…

And blasted her power to the side, the enormous force coming from the woman ripped away her mother's magic circle and created a violent gale of wind to whip around herself and the whole front lawn.

The force of the wind had Daring dropping down to the ground again only this time he dragged Raven out of the stunned Headmaster's arms and shielded her with his body, knocking off his crown in the process.

The Evil Queen's spell rounded the school and hit the struggling well to Wonderland, the object seemed to squeal in pain as it's foundation bricks were spread apart, it struggled some more but between the golems holding it in place and the magic ripping it apart eventually it was just too much, with a final death cry the mortar and brick blew apart in all directions, a geyser of Wonderlandian water erupted from the torn remains, moving and twisting like a worm on a hook as the Evil Queen's magic slowly began to taint it.

Raven screamed, clutching the area where her physical heart was and curling up in pain, her veins and arteries pulsed with the Evil Queen's magical power with each heartbeat.

"Raven!" Elenore abandoned trying to reign in her daughter to crouch down to her granddaughter.

Alarmed Daring sat up and looked over his friend, at seeing her condition he moved to allow Elenore and the Headmaster better access to the crying girl.

Daring picked up his sword, holding it in front of him threateningly as he faced the Evil Queen.

"What have you done to her?" The Prince roared over the violent whistling of the wind, blue eyes bright with anger and for the first time since he was a little kid his hair was mussed and wild.

"I'm rescuing her." The Evil Queen told him coldly, dark ultraviolet magic pouring off of her body and swirling above her in a twirling fog. "I created my curses using her blood and I created her to become my living weapon of mass destruction, she is merely going through her metamorphosis to become what she was created to be. The only reason why she is in so much pain is because that human pest has tainted her magic, her pain is a… necessary evil I suppose you could say. Once the transformation is complete she will become exactly what she was destined to be."

The Evil Queen begins to step closer, reaching her smoky shadow tendrils outwards towards a cowering Raven.

"She is designed to be my weapon, the vessel that houses and grows that glorious evil power I had sought out so long ago, she is mine!" The Evil Queen hisses drawing ever closer.

"Boy! Get behind me I can hold her off long enough for you and Milton to take Raven and run!" Elenore orders Daring, her hands working to formulate a spell, it would deplete her of power and most likely leave a massive crater in the ground but the witch was willing to enter the afterlife a little bit early as long as that bore the possibility of dragging her daughter along with her.

Instead of doing as he was told Daring lunged forwards slicing at the dark tendrils with his sword as they came into range.

The Evil Queen howls in pain drawing back her hair to analyze the stumps left behind, shocked she tried to regrow the sliced off areas but found to her horror that she could not.

"You- you cut my hair!" She howled outraged. "How dare you use such sorcery on me!" The Evil Queen turned on the prince who gulped and shook a little from where he stood.

But before the enraged woman could move to end the cowering boy something small whizzed towards the Evil Queen's head.

On instinct the evil witch raised a hand to both crush the projectile and then throw the pieces back, however when the vile of perfume broke and the liquid contents spilled onto the woman's hand the flesh and the magical power surrounding it began reacting as if they had been doused in a caustic acid.

The Evil Queen let out an inhuman screech holding the base of her lower arm and watched in horror as the flesh on her right hand bubbled and burned, too focused on her appendage to notice Elenore magically transport the humans and her granddaughter away until it was too late.

"Damn you mom!" The Evil Queen roared. "Don't think that your little escape will do you much good! Remember; once the transformation is complete she will be mine! You and the human vermin are still trapped in here with me! This time not only will I make certain that your stay in the after life stick but I will make you watch as I fulfill my birthright and destroy everything! Do you hear me you old hag? I'm going to kill you again! Mother!"

XXX

"Dammit Cerise stop struggling!" Faybelle hissed quietly, firmly clasping her hand over the girl's mouth as she struggled suspended in mid air. The wolf-child had raced to Faybelle and Cedar first after she pushed the Evil Queen down allowing Raven to throw Apple to safety.

Cerise very nearly got her head chopped off by Faybelle when she suddenly appeared next to the two other girls, the fairy's eyes all wild and terrorized like a cat's as she hissed and lunged at the newcomer forcing Cerise to dodge and duck until Faybelle tripped over Raven's missing phone and had enough time to recognized her as an ally, _not _enemy.

Cedar just stood by stoically through that ordeal, blinking slowly at the two of them as they quietly bickered and Kitty cursed them out through the phone in what sounded like some very scalding riddleish until the wooden girl seemed to have had enough and proceeded to use her new-founded abilities to tie the two arguing girls up in puppet strings which slithered around its captives like snakes, and used the surrounding plants to take Raven's phone to a better viewing location before all was still once again and the resulting conversation between the Evil Queen and their friends was the only thing that could be heard.

The fairy and wolf-girl wisely stayed quiet after that (plus Cedar made this really creepy raspy creaking sound whenever they so much as twitched) and as soon as she was certain her point had been made Cedar released her two companions.

However when the Evil Queen started towards Raven, Daring, and the two adults Cerise growled lowly and bent her legs in preparation to bound over but before she could run into the fray the fairy had used her magic to pick the girl up and keep her from going headlong at the dangerous woman.

"She's hurting Raven!" Cerise hissed back around the fairy's hand. "She's going to hurt the rest of them let-"

The Evil Queen shrieked when Daring sliced at her hair with his sword, causing Cerise to stop struggling and cover her ears with a pained whimper.

"Faybelle's eyes widened dispelling her magic around Cerise. "How did he-?"

The three watched as Raven fumbled for something from her pocket and chucked it at the Evil Queen.

Cerise was more prepared to cover her ears this time when the Evil Queen screamed once again.

"It's the stuff Raven made using the Bleeding Rebel Hearts." Cerise whispered. "It cuts through the Evil Queen's curses and, apparently, it can cut through the _Evil Queen_."

Cedar is the only one that does not flinch when the Evil Queen begins to yell at the sky, instead she holds out her hand, the vines holding Raven's phone high in the tree gently place the device into the girls awaiting palm.

"Itsss the… Bleeeeding Rebel Heartssss." Cedar hissed into the devise, ignoring the shocked gasps and wide-eyed looks she received from the people on the other side in reaction to her appearance. "They… will help-p-p-p ussss, def-f-feat-t-t-t the… Evil o-o-o-one."

XXX

"Oh Green Gods. This is really happening isn't it?" Hunter whispered in horror, clutching onto Ashlynn just as much as she was clutching onto him. The two eyeing the screen of Maddie's mirrorphone

"I can see now why you were in such a state to get us over here." Ashlynn told Maddie weakly, she had been confused when the Wonderlandian native had dragged herself, Hunter, and Lizzie away speaking sporadically in an impossible mixture of riddleish and standard.

Hunter shook his head. "Why would Raven risk herself like that just to get to the Headmaster? He's a grown man if he isn't capable enough to run his own school when it's in a crisis- hex! What was the _Evil Queen _even doing here in the first place huh?" Hunter exclaimed angrily. "She's a _crazy mass murderer_ and he keeps her locked up at a _high school_ filled with the _children _of very same people she has a _grudge against_… and for what? Because she's his illegitimate daughter? Because… why would he risk our lives like this? Risk _Raven's life_…?" The boy shook with rage and despair, tears formed in his eyes when all that he could think about was that his friends were trapped like hunted animals and the rest of the school was forced to huddle on a riverbank like refugees and that this whole situation could have just been avoided if the Evil Queen had been turned into the proper authorities, and now some of his very best friends were in danger...

Ashlynn cupped the back of Hunter's neck and held him to her shoulder where a few hiccups wracked his frame, the tears spilling freely now.

"She's risked her life to protect us Ash, she went in knowing that this was probably going to turn out badly for her and that she should've been running instead of fixing someone else's mess but… she went back so that she could trap the Evil Queen and stop her from reaching us, she kept everyone calm and led us away from there because she knew if we had stayed we would have been _wiped out_!" The boy sobbed. "Raven… her mother did _bad_ things to her as a kid, left physical _and_ mental scars and now Raven is trapped inside of Ever After High scared and in pain because she didn't want anybody else to get hurt like she had been hurt."

"_It's just not fair_." Hunter cried his tears pooling on his girlfriend's shirt. "She was supposed to find her own happy ending and escape all of this… insanity. Oh Ash she's probably so scared right now…"

Ashlynn held Hunter close, a fire lighting in her eyes. "We'll bring her back. We _will_ rescue her." She swore her expression thunderous.

"How are you guys going to do that?" Faybelle butted in, her voice matching her cynical face on the mirrorphone screen.

"So that's where you've skittered off to, I thought I heard your voice in that scuffle you had with Cerise." Ashlynn narrowed her eyes at the fairy. "Your cousin is going to kill you if you survive this."

"And then I'll resurrect her and kill her again!" Charlotte confirmed, stepping out from behind a bush with Ginger and the Crumb kids in tow.

"Oh please don't look so surprised." The witch snapped at the wide-eyed group. "When my cousin goes missing and you all start fleeing to the damn trees I know that she's gotten herself into a hell lot of trouble."

"Our mirrorphones and our connection to the mirrornet is still holding strong." Lizzie mused smirking as Faybelle's face paled at the sight of her irate cousin. "If we can contact Daring and keep our lines of communication open like this we can triangulate the Evil Queen's position and get an upper hand on her by reporting what we know to Wonderland and also to the Grand Coven when they arrive!"

"Just Wonderland I'm afraid." Charlotte reported. "Help from The Grand Coven and Raven's father is still an hour away, they'll be arriving too little too late to help save Raven or anybody else so if we are going to rescue anyone we are going to have to come up with something on our own."

"What if we sent curses through to the phones that were left behind?" Tiffany peered down at the group from a rope-made spider's web suspended ten feet into the trees. "Edward left his phone behind and his roommate made him hang up a whole bunch of protection talismans that are activated by a safe word all over their room." The girl continued on conversationally when the only response she had gotten was a bunch of blank stares.

"But Tiffany…" Aslynn licked her lips. "Sweetie that's a very good idea but someone has to be one the other side to answer that…"

"And someone has!" The girl beamed holding up her mirrorphone to show off the face of a curious spindly golem staring back at them and making bewildered sounds of confusion.

"That thing's in our dorms!" Hunter yelped looking horrified. "What the heck is that thing?"

From a far corner of the rope-net Edward clicked his own exclamations not looking at all happy that there was a strange thing in his dorm or that Tiffany had been making silly faces at it for the past five minutes.

"One of the Evil Queen's specialties is the creation of golems in mass quantities." Lizzie stated soberly, remembering the night when she had to flee her home and several of her personal guard and one of her future harem wives lost their lives right before her young eyes as they clamored to hold back the artificial beasts long enough for her to escape.

Lenna had been just a year younger than her when she was murdered; if she had lived Lizzie had little doubt that she would have been one of her favorites.

Tiffany turned the phone back to her and cleared her throat. "_SAFE WORD ACTIVATE!_"She sang giggling when almost instantly there was a flash of a multi-colored light and the thing on the other side began wailing as it cracked and shattered to the floor.

"It died." The blonde girl grinned widely.

Ashlynn nodded curtly. "Alright, we need to contact Blondie and have her crew-"

"Help you announce what is really going on and have everyone call their friend's and school phones to send a curse while they evacuate to a new location a farther distance away?" Blondie finished leaping down from a tree branch and standing smugly before her friend before being joined by several other fellow students.

"You were all listening in this entire time?" Kitty blanched. "But there's like… ten of you! Why are you all here?"

"Because my cousin went missing, and I _know_ her." Charlotte glared at Maddie's phone, making Faybelle gulp.

"I grew up with Faybelle too and I wasn't going to just leave these two all by themselves when we need to stick together!" Ginger hugged the two Crumb children protectively to her sides.

"We didn't want to leave Ginger all alone either!" The two chorused hugging the cooking witch back just as protectively.

"I'm a reporter, what do you expect?" Blondie laughed as if it should have been obvious.

Darling came forwards clutching Dexter's hand. "Our brother and our best friend is still trapped in there, we have to try to get them out alive!"

"I was just following the group." Sparrow scuffed his toe awkwardly onto the ground. "But I'll help too I guess, better to do that than sit here like an idiot novice thief while the king- or in this case queen- is hunting for us... besides Raven is… an alright guitarist, I'd hate to see that kind of talent go."

"It isn't my fault that you guys decided to have an ultra secret meeting right under Edward and I." Tiffany sniffed, leaning back down onto the web with her arms behind her head.

"Cupid was here too but when she and I started to sense something funky in the air she flew up to investigate." Charlotte added in, still glaring at her cousin.

Ashlynn and Hunter blinked at the growing group around them, all somehow managing to huddle up around the cramped little area surrounded by trees and brush.

"You-… will you all try to help us save Raven? Save Wonderland?" Maddie who had been quiet up till now looked at them all with watery eyes as if she couldn't believe her ears.

"We're already sitting ducks just waiting here and hoping that the Evil Queen won't try to bust out." Sparrow grouched. "And if we just run away we'll be hunted down anyway so we might as well do something to help our odds of surviving this."

"The other magic-users and I can brew up some more things made from Bleeding Rebel Hearts." Ginger supplied pointing to said plant on her left. "They're growing everywhere out here, we just need the people to brew them."

"There's an emergency back-up tower for the mirrornet just outside of the campus, if it is outside of the quarantine then we can remotely send a mass message to all of the school's communications and send a whole bunch of curses and spells through." Dexter timidly spoke, the seriousness of the situation making him finally realize that he had been an insensitive idiot for the past few days.

"We'll bring them back." Ashlynn assured Maddie grinning widely. "We're the descendants of fairytales for crying out loud! I mean what use were all of those classes on sword fighting, cursing, and leading countries if we weren't supposed to use what they taught us?"

Maddie breathed, and kept breathing, letting Kitty hold her up while she tried to believe that maybe, just maybe they could make it work.

"Alright." Hunter smiled at them all. "Let's get our friends back."


	17. The one with the new king pt1

Author's note (is short so go ahead and skip or read):

So writing action packed, highly emotionally charged chapters are more difficult than I had originally thought.

That is the reason why it took so long for this chapter to come, and that not all because this right here is only one section out of three of the chapter I had written, originally this was going to be the last chapter before the epilogue but then it got so freaking long that I decided to cut it in half, edit the top half, and write the rest later, but then fanfiction couldn't upload the half that I had finished so I'm afraid that you all will have to wait a little longer for the _final_ part of the final chapter.

On that note THANK YOU for the reviews, they are so wonderful and helpful and they make me actually want to finish this!

To answer that question one of you fanfiction guests asked: **_As long as you credit me and this story, _**yes you, and anybody else who wants to, may draw fanart of this story, I am incredibly (wide eyed and in shock) humbled and honored that you asked (seriously I dropped my (warm) tea on my dog when I read that review, I didn't think that this would ever get to the point where anybody was honestly considering doing fanart of this, even the fact that someone had thought about it made a bad day feel pretty good. Thank you).

To that fanfiction member I just sent a PM to the other day: sorry you will have to wait a bit longer for my BIG, big twist, though I hope you don't mind a few smaller chapters to tide you over until I finish the next one? Thank you for reviewing BTW.

Also as an ending note, I made Daring left-handed (you will see that in 2/3 of the final chapter). Don't know if that is cannon or not but I thought it would be cool if I had a lefty in this story.

Thank you so much for the reviews and I hope that you like this chapter like you did the others!

Let's go!

XXX

The one with the new king pt.1

XXX

Raven felt a cool damp thing being placed on her head, the sensation a heaven's send upon her feverish skin. When she felt fingers gently stroke her cheek she turned into them instinctually, sighing at the eerily familiar magic soaking into her skin, the slight ach on each inhale of breath dissipated and she felt comforted when fingers lightly trailed up and down her bared back.

"So you think that the reason why those flowers are being so effective on my Clawstorm's magic is because little Raven has built up an immunity to her power and that immunity has somehow been transferred into the plants and magnified by the power of True Love to the point where they can be a danger to my daughter?" The voice spoke from somewhere above her head.

"According to the tests that we have performed as far on Miss Queen her hold over her magical abilities has gotten better since the incident three months ago, although she has always been an exceptional witch, before her True Love bond to Miss White had been confirmed it was not uncommon for spells to go awry despite her original intentions." The gruff male voice came from somewhere close by making Raven twitch half expecting that voice to start lecturing her already achy ears off.

"Witches do often find it difficult to perform spells when their bodies are fighting off unwanted magic." The woman's voice mused. "For a child of her age and background it would be more difficult to detect any problems unless one was to preform an extensive examination."

"But if Raven has built up an immunity to the magic then why is she so sick?" A younger male voice piped up from farther away. "And just what has that woman done to her? She's getting worse by the minute and it looks more and more like she's getting close to-… she doesn't look like she will be well enough to _become_ a weapon to a _flea_ let alone an _entire world_!"

"I believe that is mostly due to Raven's connection to the curse on Wonderland, that accompanied by the pure direct concentration of the Evil Queen's magic has done a number on the defenses that Raven has built up for herself." Spoke a wise voice even farther away. "As to the reason why Raven is in so much agony I believe is because Morgana's curse was designed specially for her son who had inherited none of his mother's powers and was born completely human, which is not unheard of from children born from closely related parents, witch magic needs genetic diversity…" The sound of chalk on a board accompanied the wise voice as he spoke.

"The fact is that the spell was originally designed for a human to be motivated by the wrath of his mother's magic to kill another specific target. My daughter in her insanity has modified the spell to attach Raven's power core with the collected residue magic from the original great evil and then attached that to the network of curses she had placed over the various worlds, normally little Raven's own immune system would try to kill off the invading magic but because of the dissolved mystery artifact infused into her bloodstream it can't be killed off all by itself, making my granddaughter a living incubator for the foreign magic to grow until… this situation happens." The woman speaks the soft fingers on Raven's back turns to a firm palm rubbing circles into Raven's skin.

"And the scars?" The young male asks. "Raven once said that she was apart of an experiment, are those… or are they due to some other… mistreatment?"

"Blood sacrifice." The woman sighed. "It was required in the original spell to cement the bonds. Despite her insanity clouding normal reason my daughter had been meticulous when it came to her research, I may be uncertain as to whether or not my granddaughter as you know her will be able to survive this… but I do know that Clawstorm's unethical experiments had gained her an intimate knowledge of this curse. She had done all of that experimentation on others to ensure that little Raven's body would stay alive to continue on with the grand plan… even if Raven's spirit… did not survive the process."

There was a silent moment where the only sound could be heard was a frantic clinking and the bubbling of a liquid, in the far distance Raven could faintly hear hollow moaning and thumps of many, many footsteps.

"What…?" The young male's voice cracked.

"My daughter has never been able to truly grasp onto the subject of the spirit, she has always found that her unfeeling golems have made more sense than living beings with feelings and wants of their own, according to her twisted sense of reality this transformation will be turning little Raven's body into a living weapon and that Raven will turn into the perfect daughter that Clawstorm has always envisioned her of becoming." The woman held an edge of venom in her voice. "The real realities of this is that the evil foreign magic will try to inhabit more room inside of Raven eventually stripping her own magic and thus her spirit away leaving nothing behind but a powerful golem in Raven's form, a machine that has medium artificial intelligence and does nothing but take orders from it's mistress and destroy countless worlds."

"She- she's going to _kill_-? How- _how_ _could she_?" The younger male cried. "How is it possible for such an evil being to _even exist_?"

"With much voluntary persistence." The wise voice answers coming closer. "When faced with the choice between attempting to make her life better through the help of others and letting her hatred get the best of her to the point where harming others made her happiest… I'm afraid that little Clawstorm found it far easier to take down others in order to build herself up. She may say otherwise but the reality is that there was no rhyme or reason to becoming the way she is seeing as how if she would have let her mother and I help her she would not have become this… to be this evil it doesn't matter if you have people who love you and wish to help you or not, it's a conscious choice and she had to work very hard to turn into what she is today."

"Will this potion work? It will now harm her further will it?" The Young male asked quietly after a moment of contemplative silence.

"The bleeding Rebel Heart is a non-toxic plant, however it's taste is very bitter. With hope ingesting this modified heartburn potion once it's cooled will lessen the strain on Miss Queen's heart and allow her to wake up enough for her to get ahold of her instinctual need to protect Miss White and take back some of her own power to fight this." The gruff man's voice sounded guarded and emotional as he explained.

Miss White… Raven mused over the name.

Apple White… she remembered.

Beloved…? Love…? Raven grasped at these endearments associated to the name mentally reaching out…

It felt like there was a layer of protected skin between her and this other consciousness but Raven could feel the brushing anger, fear, hurt, betrayal, and… love trying to reach out for her from the other side.

Raven reached back wanting to soothe away the hurts, she loved this consciousness she remembered that much.

XXX

"You knew." Apple hissed at Briar vexed, rounding on the other the moment her horror turned to rage. She tried to reach Raven through their bond but the witch was unresponsive, in too much pain, and blocking her from helping!

"Yes." Briar steeled Apple with an unapologetic glare the descending sun making her skin glow in contrast to the dark bark of the trees surrounding them.

"You should have told me!" The blonde princess accused through clenched teeth.

"And what?" Briar sneered feeling angry herself. "Watch dutifully as you break Raven's heart by bemoaning that you will never become Snow White? Silently bite my tongue as your initial freak out makes it next to impossible for Raven to ever really trust that you do love her once you finally figure yourself out? Or worse if you went so far into denial that you try to go on with your fairytale anyway and marry Raven off to some submissive lady of your court as both a sorry excuse for a quick fix and so that you can keep an obsessed eye on her?"

"I love Raven!" Apple yelled. "If I had found out sooner that this was True Love then I would have-"

"Freaked the fuck out and broken Raven's heart." Briar interrupted.

"You know nothing about me to make that insinuation!" Apple bit back.

"Oh really? Then what do you call obsessively trying to force a terrified witch into playing the same roll as her monstrous mother had and gaining a title that would ruin her life through constant bullying?" Briar pointed out coldly.

"Shut up." Apple seethed.

Cerise and some of her most cherished friends were in danger, in the heat of the moment there seemed to be no solution to this hopeless situation, Briar decided that she would not shut up because she needed to focus on something, anything that was not related to everyone dying.

"You know this whole time Raven had overlooked the way you constantly broke her heart because she was more concerned over how hurt you were about the whole destiny thing, only we both know that she needn't have been so worried over your feelings because you could have easily taken on another to fill the villain roll any damn time you pleased!" Briar bared her teeth wanting to give in completely to the white-hot rage inside.

"Shut. Up." Apple growled beginning to glow.

"Raven was willing to let you live your life, willing to love you in secret, willing to ignore her feelings so that you could be happy! She didn't want to infringe on your dreams any more than she already had because she wanted you to live your happily ever after as you wanted to! The complete opposite for what you wanted for her! Her feelings and her fears never mattered to you! Nothing mattered but your fairytale, your stupid sense of normalcy, and keeping her dependent on your hospitality as if she were a pet and not a full grown witch!" Briar snapped at the other, her words aimed to hurt just as much as she was hurting.

"Shut the hell up!" Apple roared swinging her fist at the other's head.

Briar dodged turning on her heel to elbow Apple in the stomach, causing the blonde to tip backwards.

On newly enhanced instinct Apple hooked her arm around Briar's head to keep her from falling and then kneed the other in the solar plexus.

Briar lurched forwards throwing her magic out with her breath and pushed the blonde up over her head, throwing Apple face first to the ground behind her.

Apple pushed Raven's magic around her softening the fall, seeing Briar bent over and coughing from her position on the ground Apple swung her leg at Briar's making the brunette crash to the ground.

Apple got onto her hands and knees and tried to quickly crawl over to pin Briar down, but having to jump back with a cry when a well-placed kick with Briar's heel grazed the side of the blonde's head with enough force to hurt.

Briar sucked a breath past her aching middle and rolled up into a crouch just as Apple leaped forward intent on knocking Briar back to the ground.

Briar hooked her arm around Apple's middle, using the momentum the other already had to spin Apple around an knock all of the breath out of the blonde when Briar threw her to the ground and roughly used her own body weight to press the air out of Apple's lungs, using the time Apple spent trying to breathe to crawl on top of her and pin Apple's hands to the side of her head.

Apple tried to push Briar up and off using Raven's magic and Briar using her own to keep Apple pinned down, the air whipped around the two violently and the ground beneath them began to crack under their combined force.

A tentative brush to Apple's mind gave the princess pause; she stopped trying to fight and redirected her attention immediately to the sensation, ignoring Briar ranting at her completely.

Apple mentally reached for Raven, pawing at the thinning barrier between them, feeling Raven, confused and hurting Raven, trying to send soothing feelings over, trying to comfort Apple.

"Raven? Raven! Are you alright?" Apple spoke aloud trying to mentally push through the ever-thinning barrier.

"_I'm_ not Raven you moron! Did you hit your head when you fell?" Briar growled, upset that the other hadn't been listening to her very caustic words.

"I_ know_ who you are." Apple growled back. "I can feel Raven through our bond genius."

Briar halted her magic dropping her anger for concern. "Really? How is she? Is she somewhere safe?"

"Give me a sec, something's blocking me from completely reaching her…" Apple focused back to Raven, clawing at the barrier desperate to find a weak point to punch through.

Raven gently brushed the points where Apple made contact with the barrier, trying to soothe the princess and basking in Apple's presence, attempting to whisper endearments through emotions and sensations.

The barrier between the two stopped thinning at a certain point, being just thin enough for Apple to feel Raven trying to soothe her and yet still impeding the princess from reaching the witch. As the princess began feeling more and more helpless Apple felt a boost in power, like someone giving her a leg up from the outside.

"Thanks Briar." Apple mumbled tearing a small hole through the barrier and reaching for Raven's consciousness, mentally wrapping what little she could fit through around what she could grab of Raven.

A moment passed and Apple tensed. "She doesn't know who I am." She breathed. "She recognizes me and she knows that she loves me but she… she… Raven you have to remember! No! Don't you dare to even think of shutting me back out! I can take care of myself, it's _you_ who needs to protect yourself!"

Raven who had been struck by a nervous feeling that letting this beautiful other slip through would cause danger to befall them, tried to gently coax them back so that she could regretfully seal off their connection halted, the other seemed to get increasingly distressed when Raven tried to do anything of the sort.

Raven mentally whined trying to show that she meant no offence by trying to push the other out. She just wanted to protect the other; Raven assured mentally rubbing against Apple in apology.

In response Apple tried to leak magic into Raven. "C'mon Raven… take it… don't push it away…"

Flustered Raven didn't know what to do with herself at the new sensations of something completely loving trying to scare the painful thing in her chest away. Every little bit of this bright energy seemed to just burn away the dark areas that were painfully cold on Raven wherever they touched, it seemed to keep the pain-thing from spreading as well! Such a miracle that Raven was uncertain that she really deserved, even if she did love this consciousness and would cherish any gift that they gave her.

Something bitter and warm ran down her throat causing Raven to cough after she swallowed, Raven couldn't help but inhale from the shock of feeling something like a strong gust of wind blow out from her stomach and through her veins.

The barrier between Apple and Raven slackened allowing Apple to burst through, mentally embracing Raven as awareness and coherent thought returned sharply along with the dawning realization that there was something wrong within the witch's body.

Apple tried to soothe the panicked witch as much as she could, flooding Raven with magic and attempted to slap away the creeping invading power that had wrapped itself around Raven's soul like a leeching parasite.

XXX

"I'm a healer not a over protective baby sitter." Healer Phalange grouched. "Why are you so skittish about telling the last few teachers standing why they should help move the catatonic and injured farther away? Seriously there's only like three or so of them, there was four but the short mouthy one fainted dead away at the sight of blood, you all outnumber them so if they try the whole; "but you're just children" bullshit then feel free to just smack them, I'll even sedate them if you want." She points to Professor Jack B. Nimble behind her. "I'll gladly start with this one, he's been the second most annoying out of the bunch."

Hunter and Ashlynn blinked in surprise.

"You're behind us on this?" Ashlynn asked cautiously.

"There is no protocol or drill that can hope to be of any use in all out war." The woman stated with conviction. "Anybody who says differently is a oblivious moron."

"But Miss Healer Phalange we need to be thinking about the student's safety above all-" The professor shuts his mouth with a squeak when the woman whips around to glare at him holding a syringe menacingly.

"You were not one of the emergency volunteers who had witnessed what that woman is capable of." She hissed. "I had been there to scrape up what was left of the survivors and catalogued the dead in the village of Cachtice." She admitted with venom making the man back up.

"The local school was hit the worst." Healer Phalange recalled her eyes clouding over with memories. "Half the teachers ordered their students to flee into the forest, the other half ordered under penalty of a beating to bow and pray for mercy. The children who ran had been greeted by golems, none survived, but compared to the ones who begged for mercy…" The woman breathed deep almost shaking from grief and rage. "The result of the most cruelest pain that another living being could be subjected to… _I_ held in my arms one of them as their soul had slowly been ripped out of control, leaving nothing but a golem of flesh and blood behind. You may be under the illusion that cutting our losses and running away will spare us from this monster but it won't. Take it from someone who was _there_ Professor, because the only ones that survived in that village were the ones who fought back, the ones who sabotaged, stole, cleverly hid, and refused to back down were the ones to escape because that's the one thing that this woman just doesn't understand; it's the ones who stand up to her."

The healer looked at the shocked faces of the group of young students who had come into the healing tent. "This is no longer about fairytales and happily ever after's Professor, this is about doing what we can to sabotage this monster and buying time until help arrives, then we can run away, if we just sit back and pray for a solution to come to us not only will the lives of those who are still trapped be on our heads but the lives of an entire world will be as well, and all of those that follow. No more arguments about what is right and wrong, this is war, you have no authority here, so suck it up and get to work moving the ones who can't fight back."

The professor hesitated looking torn between fear of Healer Phalange and trying to argue against this some more.

Professor White Queen rolled her eyes grabbing Jack B. Nimble by the collar and dragged him off. "Quit grumbling you idiot man my homeland hangs in the balance and we do not have time to listen to your bellyaching!"

"Well don't just stand there, get to work on saving your friends!" Phalange barked sending the wide-eyed students running.

Healer Phalange sighed watching the students run off and start organizing their battle plan amongst themselves while rubbing her temples, if she survived this stupidly harrowing day the healer made mental plans to get as plastered as possible. Yes they were kids; yes she was probably being irresponsible by letting them go off to wage war against an evil sociopath…

But what choice did they have really? That little magical bubble was highly unlikely to hold a powerful magic-user of that super-bitch's caliber and most of the teaching and working staff had already taken off that morning or at lunch for their break, and as she had pointed out before; a good majority of the remainder were barely capable of stringing two sentences together let alone being responsible for a bunch of teenagers.

And they were smart teenagers too, many of them being groomed to rule entire nations, and a lot of those Rebellion kids were some of the craftiest brats in the school, she should know because more than once she had seen that particular bunch out-fox teachers and fellow student's alike so many times that at least she knew that these kids understood the importance of surprise guerilla tactics in this situation.

It made her feel a little better about putting all of their lives in the hands of people who weren't old enough to buy liquor in most places… but only just.

She, who _was_ old enough to buy liquor, just kept her mind focused on the fact that nothing would taste better after the Grand Coven transported them all far away from this place than a suitable tumbler of the best fermented wyvern venom she could get her hands on (after all the beast's poison was rendered rather harmless once processed into alcohol and drinking it would be personal irony seeing as how the wyvern was a symbol for war and pestilence at one point in time...).

Healer Phalange glanced to the side a deeper scowl appearing on her face. "Where in fairytale is the short mouthy one and Lady Baba Yaga?" She barked noticing that the pallets containing Rumpelstiltskin and the witch were empty.

XXX

"There's something trying to invade her body… drive what makes Raven, _Raven_ out of it, but our magic has stopped it and it seems to be afraid of me. As it should be." Apple reported smugly still lying on the ground.

"The Evil Queen cursed her daughter too." Briar shook her head, as she sat next to Apple, dutifully waiting for the other princess to awaken from whatever she was doing to help Raven. "That woman should have been locked up under a mountain long ago."

"That woman will be reduced to a pile of shreds once I get my hands on her… me and Elenore are going to take her out!" Apple snarled making strangling motions with her hands. "And then I am taking Raven far away from here, and I'm going to marry her the second I can find someone with the power to do so, and she is going to promise me every single day of our marriage to never scare me like this _ever again_!"

"Don't forget the witchlings." Briar added. "You two seem like the type of couple to produce lots of tiny offspring for years to come after surviving a harrowing adventure.

"You got that right!" Apple huffed turning her head to the side.

"Elenore's a ghost." Apple spoke quietly after a sobering pause.

"A damn powerful one, but yes, _yes_ she is." Briar whistled lowly.

"Raven is trapped in a nightmare with her mother hunting for her." Apple whispered.

"Cerise is running around with a half-baked fool plan to at least slow that evil lady down." Briar shook her head. "And instead of doing something to get her back, here I am getting into a fist fight with my best friend."

"Briar-" Apple began but was interrupted by something making a questioning sound behind them.

The two girls turned their heads to see that there was golem made from what appeared to be a dress mannequin from the theater or maiden classes that had sneaked up behind them to give Apple a curtsy. The fabric of the dress it adorned ripped under the sharp talons of its scissor blade hands.

"…That's a golem. There is a golem behind us." Apple breathed very quietly.

"Yep." Briar slowly took out her bottle of perfume, shook it up as much as she dared and quickly sprayed the artificial thing when it turned to hiss at her.

After the golem stopped screaming and collapsed into a pile of harmless raw materials the two princesses stared at the heap with wide eyes.

"We can have the heartfelt apology-slash-friendship speech later, right now we need to get our troublesome girlfriends outta that golem infested place." Briar nodded to herself still staring at the pile of golem remains.

"I'll call Ashlynn." Apple announced taking out her phone.

XXX

"Will they be safe while we are away?" Elenore asked peeking her transparent head through the door to check on Raven who was being kept warm by Daring Charming, not long after Apple had aided Raven by supplying her with the magical power needed to halt the curse's progress did the evil power within her attempt to fight back by dropping Raven's core temperature in an attempt to quell the heat the witch's body was producing in order to kill it off just like it would a virus.

She longed to stay by her granddaughter's side but her daughter's minions were searching for them, they needed to hide these untouched rooms from detection in the hopes of delaying the search long enough for help to arrive.

She refused to rest in peace until she knew for a fact that her family and her granddaughter's friend were safe.

"You… really are… gone. Aren't you?" Milton swallowed; the spell that they had just placed on that door should have blocked a living magic-user from using any form of power to pass through.

_Living_ being the key word as it did not bar different forms of spirits.

Elenore leaned back with something that barely passed for a sigh, she had no breath to draw one, and so it did not come out quite right.

"Yes." She admitted looking at the ceiling. "My body had been destroyed years ago, the only reason why I am here, like this, is because I had attached my spirit around Clawstorm's power core in the hopes of sabotaging her should she ever live to see the light of day once again." The witch turned to the other on feet that did not touch the ground; her words were quiet, yet they resonated like a death knell. "And now I am merely existing in this world on borrowed time and your love for me."

"But you were always so strong!" The man sobbed. "I… I cannot believe that you have been reduced to a mere ghost, it simply can't be! You say that you are no more than a specter and yet… you are just as alive and vibrant as the day I first met you and fell so irreversibly in love with you!" He stepped forward to cradle her face in his large hands. "And you are so warm. How can anything so warm and beautiful be… gone? I refuse to believe that Elenore Queen, the love of my life has drawn her last breath!"

Elenore places the one hand that she still possessed on the side of the crying man's jaw her expression gentle yet mournful. "It shatters me completely to say this to that beautiful boy now turned man who had once ensnared my full attentions that fateful day when he literally tripped and fell into my lap and told me the most wondrous story in apology… but my beloved Milton… can you actually feel my breath upon your face?" She took one of his hands and placed it over her left breast. "Can you still feel the beat of a heart that had turned to dust along with the rest of my body?"

Milton covered his crying face as Elenore held him close to her with her one transparent arm wrapped around him.


	18. the one with the new king pt2

A/N (skip if you want):

Part 3 and the other parts are under construction (something's up because I can't upload the large amounts of pages that I was able to do in the past and I had to cut this half up again). Thank you for reviewing!

Part two is a go!

XXX

The one with the new king pt.2

XXX

Raven breathed a wheezing gasp as she cracked her eyes open.

"Wa… wa..." She whispered, blinking in surprise as the thing she was laying against tensed and moved.

Daring sat up straighter, rearranging Raven to sit between his legs so that he could guide a glass filled with bitter liquid to her lips.

"I know that it tastes bad but this tea will help you fight this thing." The boy reassured coaxing the witch to drink the entire glass before taking the empty vessel away to wrap his arms back around Raven and pull some blankets around her.

Cold, Raven realized rubbing the sleep out of her lashes. She shivered despite being surrounded by blankets and Daring.

"Mister Giles thinks that the curse is cooling your core temperature in order to keep your immune system from fighting it off." Daring informed when the witch whined and shivered pointedly. "Can you talk?" The boy asked.

Raven could only manage a few squeaks and whines in response.

"Right." The prince held the witch's head to his chest like a father would to comfort a small child. "Just try to rest." The boy crooned gently rocking his friend side to side.

Raven was sorely tempted to do just that, she certainly felt tired enough that it would be easy to ignore the fact that the normally narcissist boy was treating her like she was dying and return her attention back to Apple's loving mental touch, to analyze this strange phenomenon while forgetting that the world as she knew it was turned on it's head and that she wasn't scared out of her mind.

But the witch preferred it even more to at least see when trouble was coming for her, she could sense that there were more than a few things that she should keep her eyes out for.

Her instincts proved true when she looked down and noticed that the burns on Daring's arm had turned a disturbing greenish color and the skin peeking around the wounds had angry red veins slithering from it. The Evil Queen's poisonous bite, Raven recognized the results of being hit with her mother's assault spells, her father had a nasty scar on his back that had taken weeks to heal, _that_ had been from an attempt on his life from the woman in an effort to get him to stop looking for Raven. He had not backed down of course, but he did give the family healers a few grey hairs when he refused to rest properly until his daughter had been brought back to him two weeks later.

Raven dimly noticed that she and Daring were in one of the school's study lounges used primarily for magic thronework as she looked around for more of that tea to put on Daring's wounds.

She found something better, one of the vials she recognized that contained Bleeding Rebel Heart essential oil sat on a table beside the fainting couch the two were sitting in.

Daring noticed the witch delicately peel away the cloth on his tattered jacket and begin reaching for the vial. "That's for you not me." He informed primly catching the witch's reaching hands and pulling them back to her body.

Raven squeaked in protest, giving the prince a worried look.

"You need it more than I." Daring stressed again holding the underside of Raven's wrist up for the witch to see the black infected veins that pulsed a glowing purple with each heartbeat.

Raven recalled the trickle of conversation that she had overheard earlier, how she had freaked out while Apple consoled her because the witch had realized that they had been talking about her and…

Apple sensed her panic and fed Raven more magic and soothing kindness allowing Raven to breathe, and think about her next step.

Raven made a writing motion with her hand signaling to Daring that she needed a way to communicate with him since could not speak.

"If you are set on arguing over this you will not win." Daring warned her but shifted to retrieve his mirrorphone for her to use all the same.

**I heard you guys talking earlier. Apple (we can sorta communicate somehow) is helping me slow down the curse's progress in my body. Where are the others?** She wrote, looking around the empty room for signs of life.

"In the adjacent rooms setting up protection and concealing spells, this part of the castle is new so the Evil Queen won't know the layout as well as the rest of the castle. They'll be back any minute." Daring informed her; in fact just before she had woken up he had heard Raven's grandmother and the Headmaster speaking to each other.

He hadn't realized that the old man was capable of loving _anybody_ that deeply and yet it was painfully obvious that those two loved one another. Like the type of love that you only ever got to read about in those fancy Victorian love novels.

A love that would soon be separated once again, this time by Elenore's immanent passage into heaven. Daring felt heartbroken just hearing those two, this whole situation was nothing but one big heartbreaking horror.

It wasn't fair. It shouldn't have ever come to this.

**Hext Lizzie.** Raven wrote. **Wonderland must be warned about what I am becoming.**

Daring shook his head sternly. "You aren't going to turn into a golem. We won't let you get hurt any further by that woman." He tried to assure with as much conviction as he could muster.

**Maddie deserves to know about my condition.** Raven countered with a pointed look. **So does Apple. Our communication abilities are limited. Hext her as well.**

"If I do this… will you promise to rest?" Daring asked catching Raven's eye.

The witch nodded enthusiastically handing the phone back and settling down amongst the blankets, half listening to her surroundings and half soaking up as much of Apple's presence while she still could.

XXX

"Are you getting this recording mother?" Lizzie asked the Queen of Hearts through Kitty's enlarged communications portal. She along with many others stood in front of a mass collage of connected mirrorphones and other devises.

"Loud and clear my dearest daughter." The Queen of Hearts assured hands tightening on the handle of a heart-shaped battle-ax. "Such a deplorable woman, it will be a great pleasure to off her head personally if the gods are to be so kind."

"You may have to get in line my queen. There are many, including myself who would love nothing more than to sink their claws into her skin and rip right through her." Cheshire Cat pointed out coolly, a growl hidden beneath her tone. The cat woman looked up when she heard a familiar set of footsteps. "Ah, Bunny, Alistair, how are things going?"

"The underground portal waterways on our end have been successfully secured by our forces for battle." Alistair announced as he bowed before the two women. "It has been estimated that it will take less than a half an hour's time before the Evil Queen is able to fully rip open the portal between our worlds."

"Hasty production of The Honorable Lady Raven's anti-curse serum is under way, though for extra protection the generals have ordered the royal gardeners to use magicked grow-orbs to plant and fast-grow starts of the Bleeding Rebel Heart plants all over the battle field and around all known entrances to the land of Ever After." Bunny reported fingers brushing over her pocket watch, the charmed trinket housed several smoke bombs and throwing knives, which were laced in turn with a nerve paralyzing poison and dipped in one of the first batches of the Bleeding Rebel Heart serum.

"Excellent." The Queen praised. "Though they may not be all that great, these are far better odds than what we had the last time. We have just gotten a report on how wonderfully effective those plants are against the Evil Queen's minions!" The queen hummed turning towards the White Rabbit. "Heart Squire! Place a call out to all of the Wonderland kingdoms to donate as many products made with the plant to our troops for extra protection seeing as how it seems as though a simple sword polisher was more than enough to wound our enemy directly!" The woman ordered.

The rabbit bowed before beginning to hop his way out of the room, stopping briefly to give his daughter a nose-kiss on her still bowed head before frantically hopping off.

The Queen of Hearts turned towards Alistair and Bunny. "You may rise." She granted.

The two teenagers did as told running up beside the Queen and the Cheshire Cat to greet their fellow country-kin.

"Are you guys alright?" The boy asked scrutinizing what he could see of the three Wonderlandian girls, looking for any signs of injury or trauma.

"We're doing just about as well as one can expect under the circumstances." Kitty told her old friend grimly.

"And what of The Honorable Lady Raven? Your friend and sister?" Bunny asked softly.

Maddie looked down. "She managed to get away from the monster's clutches for the moment but she is still trapped inside the quarantine bubble and the hexts we keep receiving from Daring Charming are telling us that the Evil Queen has done something to Raven, infused her blood with the remains of an ancient artifact and then cursed it or something of the like… she… she is not doing well. Being cursed from the inside out… it's hurting her…" The girl trails off tearing up.

Kitty hugs her mate from behind rubbing her head onto Maddie's cheek and purring reassuringly.

"I'm sure that she will find a way through this." Alistair assured. "She was strong enough to survive the first time, with your help she will persevere this time as well, I am sure of it."

Maddie smiled weakly. "Thank you."

"I'm getting incoming calls from Apple and Cupid." Humphrey called over his shoulder.

"Patch them through." Ashlynn commanded.

"Ashlynn! We got a problem!" Apple was the first to speak.

"Blondie? Apple? Are you guy's there?" Cupid huffed her face appearing on screen dirty and a little scratched up.

"Cupid, Apple, your calls are both being displayed to us, tell us what is going on." Ashlynn informed as calmly as she could.

"We've got golems!" Cupid exclaimed. "Some of them must have escaped being trapped by the quarantine!"

"Apple and I encountered the same thing a minute ago, but because of Raven's power they won't attack Apple and as long as I'm near her they don't seem to want to attack me either. Listen guys the Bleeding Rebel Hearts are the key to killing the golems and defending yourselves against the Evil Queen who's escaped and has cursed Raven!" Briar reported seriously.

"We already know." Ashlynn confirmed.

"You know?" Apple asked.

"Raven's phone was still on the whole time while the Evil Queen held a family reunion with Elenore and the Headmaster. Faybelle, Cerise, and Cedar currently have Raven's phone and are under radio silence until they can get to a high place to view just how much damage the Evil Queen has caused." Ashlynn spoke quickly.

"Cerise!" Briar exclaimed. "How is she? Is she alright?"

"Last we heard of her she was fine and it appears that the Evil queen has no clue that the three of them are there. And as for Blondie she is currently trying to get into contact with the Good King and the Grand Coven. Cupid, where are you and how are you fairing?" Ashlynn's eyes widened at the sound of an inhuman screech. "Cupid!"

"I'm fine." The winged girl's grinning face reappeared on screen. "Lucky thing that Blondie let me have half of her perfume stash." She held up a tiny spray bottle still grinning. "Have I mentioned before just how much I love this stuff?"

Ashlynn breathed a little. "Right. Are any of you close enough to the emergency mirrornet tower?"

"It's right behind us." Briar informed.

Ashlynn nodded. "Fantastic, please break into there and help us out with our half-baked plan?"

"As long as it gets Raven to safety I'll do it." Apple promised darting out of the screen, presumably already on her way to the building.

"We're on our way." Briar informed before following Apple.

"Cupid do you think that you can fly back here safely?" Ashlynn asked.

"Yes. I think I can." The winged girl confirmed preparing to take to the sky.

"Good we need you and your arrows here and Blondie has been worried sick!" The princess said with a fond smile.

After Cupid simply nodded and took to the air, Ashlynn stepped back to look at the sky for a brief moment of silence.

They were in contact with Apple and Briar who were going to do everything possible to get Raven and the others to safety, Faybelle was going to do anything she could to get _herself_ out of this mess even if that meant helping and working with others, Wonderland was in the know, Raven was safe for the moment, and Daring was giving them frequent updates via hext.

The other students were afraid but for the most part they were staying calm enough to cart the incapacitated away, help the witches brew things made from Bleeding Rebel Hearts, and those who hadn't volunteered their mirrorphones to Humphrey and Dexter began constructing curses to be sent out from their own devises when everything was ready.

She really hoped that all of this would be enough for most everyone to live to see tomorrow.

"Strange…" Ginger muttered from the side. "I could have sworn I put that full third batch of Bleeding Rebel Heart serum here… how did a few bottles go missing right under my nose?"

XXX

"Where did they hide you?" The Evil Queen grumbled arms crossed as she tried to sense out the spawn's location. No luck thus far, none of the numerous golems riddling the campus had seen a hair of the spawn or her parents.

This was turning out to be more difficult than it should have been, she wanted to lay blame solely upon her mother for not having the grace of staying properly dead but the older witch was not the only factor in this complicated future world, mainly aside from the issue of her parents there was also that dreadful wench and the boy with the weapon that had actually managed to hurt _her_, _the Evil Queen_!

The Evil Queen sat back and tried to think of a solution to this problem. The metal bench that she was sitting on was deliciously warm against her exposed skin, the heat thanks to exposure from the afternoon sun, and said brilliant star setting over the horizon was putting on a spectacular show, certainly a lovely comfort in the face of having to scrounge up a medical kit and patch up her own wounds!

Feeling its mistress's disquiet a lizard-like stone golem crooned reassuringly as it nosed the Evil Queen's palm, the woman patting the top of its head in return.

Golem beasts made far more sensible creatures to deal with than most naturally born beings, you could make one to be rather intelligent and yet it will never question you or speak out of turn, truly the perfect companion.

She wondered if the spawn might want one or two to keep as _pets_ instead of minions, as girls her age were apt to do, bring around the nearest fluffy thing that they had taken a shine to, however a tiny fluffy golem would make a more suitable pet for a growing champion to the Evil Queen than some grungy animal found in the woods, especially since that was the kind of nonsense that inbred wench's family was famous for, making "friends" with the local wildlife.

She worried for her spawn, going through the transformation without her master around to take proper care of her, who knew just what damage being bonded to that White family wench had done to her power! She needed to find the spawn quickly but how? It wasn't as though her parents would make things so easy for her, no doubt by now they had placed concealment spells twice over upon the girl! She needed to find some way of tracking the spawn down, some clue or… wait…

Her father, a Grimm, and his granddaughter the spawn, both descended from the ones who wrote the Book, both connected by blood to that object.

But the Book was not on campus or anywhere south of Legends River.

However, it was a long shot but… perhaps whoever had taken the Book had hidden it somewhere where they had thought someone like herself could not reach it… someplace sealed off from the rest of Ever After…

The Evil Queen gingerly kneeled down on the ground a magic circle appearing beneath her fingertips, she commanded one of her golems to reach out through the water, the connection between the worlds was narrow but enough for the creature to stick an appendage through.

Pieces of the golem's chalky hide broke off and flew into enemy territory.

It was a long shot, a glance into the dark, but the weapon- _the spawn's_ wellbeing was on the line, it was worth a shot.

A blade flew through the stream, a pathetic attack under normal circumstances but whatever the blade was spelled with had caused the power nexus in the larger part of that particular golem sticking it's arm through to Wonderland to completely collapse into it's base materials! Rendered completely useless!

The Evil Queen swallowed her panic and increased her hold on the tiny fragments that she still had control over, whatever defenses the Wonderlandian's had created to fight against her while she had been imprisoned was strong enough to destroy her golems! She needed her weapon- her spawn more than ever now!

Please be there; please be there, please- there! It was there!

The witch breathed thanking her own foresight for bathing the Book in her essence year's prior just in case someone tried to take the object away from her control.

It took some maneuvering, and a great deal of magic but she managed to transport and fly the book closer and closer to the water portal until…

A loud boom sounded across the school grounds like a gunshot, the magic around the book pulsed staining the quarantine shield blue with magic that would soon corrode the protections and seals imprisoning the woman from the world she would soon own.

The Evil Queen stood up to meet the Book as it flew into her arms.

"Finally." The witch grinned hugging the magical object to her like a child would hold their favorite storybook. "It's time, for a new glorious era! Time for my plans to come into fruition and to begin the battle for my ascension into a god!" The woman threw her head back into a laugh.


	19. The one with the new king pt3

XXX

The one with the new king pt.3

XXX

"We need a plan." Cerise gulped from her perch atop a high ledge of Ever After castle, she was crouched down on all fours, prepared to flee at the drop of a hat. "And maybe a nuclear magic orb or two…"

"How did she manage to get all of these things here so quickly? _When_ did she have the time to construct all of them?" Faybelle whispered in disgusted awe from over Cedar's shoulder, it took time, materials, and lots of magic to make one battle class golem, it was a process that had to be done correctly and with proper safety protocols or else things could turn deadly if even the slightest mistake were made. "I had heard that she was able to make lots of these things over her career but not _this_ _many_."

Far below the three stood an accumulating thick mass of golems marching into place around the remains of the Wonderlandian well portal. There were at least over half a dozen different varieties of golem creatures made of different materials ranging from glass shards to clumpy wet hair.

"Move the screen just a little further to the right if you please Cedar." Dexter asked from the screen of Raven's phone. "Ok now let's try putting your revealer rays over the camera… huh… whelp that's even scarier than without the glasses."

"What's scary?" Faybelle demanded.

"It says here that these golems are less than an hour old and many are made from materials that logically could only have come from Ever After High." Dexter's voice waivered. "My knowledge on golems may be limited but I do know that for a lone magic-user to have done all of this within a few minutes is just…"

"Craptastic scary." Cerise supplied.

"It might be scarier than that." Faybelle took the hand perched on her knee and ran her fingers through her hair. "This kind of technique… it's legendary, the only other individual that I can think of who has ever been powerful enough to create so many golems at once was Cain."

"Cain?" Dexter coughed. "As in the bad guy from those Beowulf stories?"

Faybelle nodded even though the boy could not see it, she leaned back in her kneeling position a bit to rub at her stressed shoulder. "My aunt specializes in the study of that era, there is a theory going around that a bunch of those monsters that were crawling around at the time were golems created by Cain and it is rumored that whomever was the last great evil had something of Cain's, some sort of power vessel supposedly filled with part of Cain's own magic infused into it."

"So first there was Cain, the world's first evil villain, then there was the great evil… speaking of which who was the great evil again?" Cerise asked as she ticked things off on her fingers.

"As an act to shame the individual in the afterlife our ancestors erased all references to their name and life in the hopes that the wielder to the great evil would be forced to wander about purgatory as a lonely spirit." Faybelle muttered looking on in concern as one golem attempted to stick their "hand" experimentally through the geyser leading to Wonderland.

"Right." Cerise nodded. "So then there was this guy who was so bad that people tried to erase his name from history, now there is the Evil Queen who is batshit insane, and according to those hexts that Daring has been sending us there is that thing she did to Raven that is trying to turn her into this ultimate unstoppable super weapon that will destroy everything in it's path… am I the only one seeing a link between these people or is it just me reading too much into what is turning into a bad plot for a superhero comic series?"

"D-d-dest-t-t…roy t-t-the ancient-t-t… power." Cedar hissed her darkened eyes seemed to zone out to something far away. "We m-m-must ssst-t-t…op thisss n-now."

"Cedar's right if we can kill the Evil Queen and eradicate this ancient evil power we might be able to prevent this vicious cycle from continuing." Faybelle sighed a little in relief when a throwing knife came through the geyser and hit the curious golem; whatever the blade was laced with was enough for the creature to crumble into dust. "There might be a way to extract the seed evil power or if that is not possible, we can put a bunch of heavy seals inside Raven's body so that it'll die with her when she eventually passes." Faybelle understood that Raven like many witches she knew were dead set on living long lives, be damned anything that would try to lessen their life expectancies, witches liked to die on their own terms and if that was not an option then they would fight to the bitter end so that at least they could rest with pride.

Or manage to keep their spirit from entering the afterlife altogether, based entirely on, from what Faybelle could tell, _pure force of freaking will_; exhibit A Raven's grandmother.

A hysterical bubble of laughter tried to force it's way out of Faybelle's mouth at the thought of two battling insanely powerful witches, one inappropriately evil the other dead but refusing to let that slow her down, in the same contained space…

They were _so_ screwed.

"Don't forget about Apple and Raven's True Love." Ashlynn pointed out. "If anything can help us win this it's their sheer stubborn determination to see each other again. There is no way that Apple would allow that magic to survive inside of Raven as long as she still draws breath."

There was that, Faybelle let out a breath. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around how _that_ is even possible but whatever silver lining you can think of is much appreciated right now. So what's the plan as of right now?"

"Keep us and Wonderland updated on the Evil Queen's progress, sabotage her as much we can, find Raven and Daring before she does, and get them out of there!" Apple's voice ordered. "And if Faybelle lays one inappropriate action upon Raven, Cerise I beg of you to slap her!"

"Apple?" Faybelle blinked turning her full attention to the devise in Cedar's grip. "Where are you?"

"She's in the back-up tower for the mirrornet, typing up the code that will allow us to send a mass of curses and spells through the school's communications system." Dexter explained. "Speaking of which, Apple tell me when you are through with the code so that I can talk you through switching the-"

"Switch the energy default to full, reroute the incoming call ground wire to the broadcasting system, increase the magical output to ten point seven, and then allow five minutes for the system to reboot before you guys can start sending your stuff to the school's number." Apple cut the boy off. "Easy peasy, my magic mirror is more complicated than this."

"I taught her how to do that." Humphrey boasted, a grin in his voice.

"There's one thing that I don't quite get…" Cerise spoke up. "Just where are we going to escape to? We're stuck in a quarantine bubble!"

"Wonderland." Apple clarified. "Get Daring to hext you his and Raven's location and then once the Evil Queen is has been thoroughly distracted by us grab them and race as fast as you can through the water, be sure that all of you have your mirrorphones on and connected to Blondie's open-face-discussion forum so that Wonderland knows that it is you who is coming through, they have a bath and many other potions made from Bleeding Rebel Hearts ready for Raven once you get her there, between that and the work of their own witches they say that they are confident that they can either eradicate the curse altogether or snuff it out from within Raven's own body over a long period of time so that it can't-"

Apple is interrupted by a lot of shouting on the other side of Raven's mirrorphone, Faybelle finds it difficult to decipher the rapid words being exchanged but when she hears Lizzie's distinctive accent shouting; "The Book? What do you mean she has the Book?" the fairy's heart stops long enough for it to hurt.

"No!" She shouts to the universe at large but it was too late, like a gunshot that sounded deafening to anxious ears all around, the Book of Legends shot through the water, the vile magic of the Evil queen surrounding the object as it sailed high into the sky and released a pulse of magic that turned the clear quarantine shield a transparent deathly light blue.

XXX

The room where Raven, Daring and the three adults were hiding in was gravely silent as they waited for rescue, and watched with worried eyes over the youngest witch as she shivered and occasionally whimpered in her fitful sleep.

Then there was a loud concussion of sound and the light filtering into the room took on an eerie light bluish tinge, casting the long shadows from the setting sun seemingly even longer and looking far more menacing.

Elenore shivered leaping up from her seat beside the Headmaster and wrenching her hand free from his desperate grasp so that she could pick up Daring's prone sword from beside the end table. "It's the Book." She stated in explanation as she clipped the weapon to her dress belt and reached for the bottle of Bleeding Rebel Heart essential oil. "She has gotten ahold of it, somehow. I can sense it! I thought that it was locked up so securely that no one without someone who has been initiated into the steward's fold and with Grimm's blood could get to it!"

"But the book has been lost for-" The Headmaster began but stopped himself. "The Evil Queen had stolen the Book of Legends eleven years ago just before the Signing Ceremony and switched it out with a realistic fake." He realized with growing dread.

"_She what_?" Elenore's voice was panicked; she quickly turned to Daring who had sat up and was holding a scared shivering Raven even closer than before, not that he had much difficulty in doing so seeing as Raven seemed to be actively trying to hide herself into Daring's jacket. "Young prince, open and hold this bottle out for me, I'll try to bless as many sigils as I can into Raven's skin before it's too late." She ordered sharply.

Daring complied without hesitation. "Why is it so bad that the Evil Queen has the Book? She's already signed it, surely she can't do much else with it!"

"Ah but with little Raven's and my Clawstorm's blood lineage she can do far more damage with the book than with an army of golems." Elenore told the boy seriously as her finger-traced lines into the skin on Raven's face and neck. "Long ago our ancestors signed their birth names into the Book of Legends to create an artifact filled with so much powerful fairytale magic that it killed the original great evil and wiped out all of their curses on the world, and as more fairytales came into existence the more powerful the book has become, only one family has been charged with keeping the traditions alive and the book safe, and only a chosen few of that family is even allowed to touch the Book of Legends, the initiated stewards to the future fairytales."

Daring's eyes widened. "The Grimm family?" He whispered. "So if the Evil Queen is the Headmaster's Daughter and Raven is his granddaughter…"

"The Book has always been in the Grimm family to ensure that it never fell into the wrong hands… likewise the Book has great pull upon us as we do upon it… it is in our blood to be bound to the Book and… to the fairytales." Giles informs regretfully looking around for _something_,_ anything_ to stop the inevitable.

"Being one such fairytale means that the Evil Queen… my daughter who has signed the book, has become one of the _current_ stewards to the fairytales, has a certain power over Miss Queen… the _future_ steward to the Book of Legends." Milton stepped forward to aid Elenore by gently moving Raven's mass of hair to the side so that the witch could reach the back of the girl's neck, the man winced at the sight of the gnarled scars peeking up from the torn edges of Raven's shirt. It had been one thing hearing about these from Giles but to see them himself… was very difficult to swallow.

Raven hiccupped a terrified whine when paper yellow light began seeping from her pores.

"Damn!" Elenore cursed. "Forgive me young one but I have to do this." The witch warned pulling down the front of Raven's tunic and bra just enough to expose the expanse of scarred skin just above the girl's left breast.

Raven squeaked indignantly as the elder witch drew one last symbol upon her skin, her indignity turning to panic when she saw the yellow light swirling and catching ahold of Daring as well.

"Thrice be damned!" Elenore capped the bottle, stuffed it down the left side of Raven's bra, and shoved the hilt of Daring's sword into the boy's hands. "Boy, you hang on tightly to this and my granddaughter for as long as you can!" She demanded looking Daring right into his terrified eyes. "And try your best to survive." She said lowly the palm of her right hand and the stump of her left resting upon the sword's polished surface for an instant before her essence seeped completely into the metal.

"Elenore!" Milton shouted reaching for the sword the woman disappeared into but in a bright flash of candlelight hued magic the prince, the haunted sword, and Raven had disappeared from his grasp.

XXX

"Rebooting in five. Four. Three. Two. One!" Apple called pulling a giant lever, the electronics around her powered off for a second and a half before revving back to life.

"Five minutes 'til full network control." Dexter reported. "Nice work Apple!"

The princess peered worriedly out the tiny stone window to stare at the blue-tinged quarantine shield. "You can thank me after we get-" Apple began but cut herself off with a scream as a bolt of agonizing pain seared through her connection with Raven, white magic flared around her and she dropped to her knees from the force of Raven's fear and the familiar stench of the Evil Queen's death tainted magic seeped into the fringes of her senses, causing the girl to dry heave from the overwhelming force of the magical signature.

"Apple?" Briar cried out dropping beside her fellow princess.

"It's Raven." Apple coughed once she gained back control over her roiling stomach. "The Evil Queen's got her."

XXX

Daring for his part had tried his best to keep tight hold onto a blanket wrapped Raven as the two teens appeared on one of the western lawns of the school, but the Evil Queen took one look at him holding a terrified Raven securely in his left arm and awkwardly holding his sword in his non-dominate hand, she merely rolled her eyes not even getting off of the bench she sat on as she merely flicked her wrist and a mist of dark purple magic was sent their way.

"Silly little boy." The Evil Queen stated boredly looking at her long nails. "Trying to fight me when you have already been infected with my venom."

Daring swung at the mist but no matter how much he sliced at the purple magic no real damage was being done, the mist simply parted around the sword as it drew nearer.

Raven attempted to shield Daring with her magic, but the Evil Queen's eyes narrowed and in one commanding sweep of the hand the two were enveloped in the mist.

Daring nearly dropped his sword and yielded his grip on Raven as his burns stung painfully on contact; it was only just that he kept from crying out as the pain increased.

The Evil Queen observed the boy's struggles with a vaguely entertained air. "You see, my attack spell was specifically designed to cause as much damage to it's victim as possible after the fact, if they somehow managed to survive my initial attack, it's a slow, painful infection that takes a long time to heal with the aid of proper medical treatment." The Evil Queen gave the boy a sickly sweet smile. "However as you have found out your wounds can become aggravated, and they can worsen if those infected try their luck against me again."

Raven struggled when the other witch sent a magic tendril of hair to wrap around her; Daring struggled as well trying to keep hold both on the witch and his sword.

A third magical aura flashed into existence, surrounding the prince's weapon and with a tremendous swing of his arm Daring managed to slice away most of the mist surrounding them.

The Evil Queen growled looking irritated. "_Mom_ would you stay out of this already? How am I supposed to get anything done if you keep interfering?"

In response the sword's magical aura intensified.

Huffing indignantly the Evil Queen stood up from the bench, Daring's eye twitched in revulsion when he saw that the bloodied patched up cut that he had made earlier was open to full view and that the bandages hid next to nothing as the flimsy fabric the woman wore parted wide open exposing more than he _ever_ wanted to see of the infamous Evil Queen.

With a curl of a finger the magic still wrapped around Raven began pulling the witch from Daring's grasp Elenore reached a magic tendril of her own and took hold of the witch as well within it's light purple hued grasp, The Evil Queen growled curse words towards the ghostly witch while Daring's sword muttered lowly to itself while somehow managing to seem to stare down at the Evil Queen disapprovingly.

Daring tried to swing his arm to hack away the tendril of magic with the sword but found himself unable to raise his arm when the Evil Queen sent a second smokey tendril to sneak up behind him and lightly touch a burn at the base of his left shoulder, like a hypodermic needle it injected the open wound with a steady stream of the Evil Queen's magic.

This time Daring could not help but howl in pain, his arm feeling as though it was being ripped apart from the marrow to the skin, Elenore reached out with even more power in an attempt to both hold onto her granddaughter and to fight off the tendril trying to poison the boy.

It was only for a split second but Elenore's attention had been diverted long enough that she did not see the Evil Queen charge her hands and she barely had the time to shield her two charges before a bolt of magically charged lightning crashed against them, the shield had been enough to save Daring from decapitation but it had not been quite wide enough to shield the sword that Elenore haunted.

The only thing that had saved the ghostly witch from being severely damaged had been the protective powers of the sword polish still coating the blade, but even then the blast had hit the eldest witch's exposed essence (and the surrounding area which had become thoroughly chard) hard. Elenore managed to retaliate with a returning shot of condensed amethyst magic right back at the Evil Queen before losing consciousness and her ethereal form slumping out of the sword to float haphazardly an inch or so above the ground, her spiritual form flickering distressingly in and out of exsistance.

The Evil Queen swore heartily as she clutched her right knee between her hands, blood flowing freely from between her clasped fingers.

"_That's it_!" The woman swore braving one hand away from her wound to magic the bone wand, which she had dropped to the ground, back into her palm and turned it onto the prince and girl attempting to retreat.

Raven's mouth opened in a silent scream when a terribly familiar paralyzing aura enveloped her, tugging at her body until her fingers slipped from Daring's jacket and she was torn violently away.

Tears sprung into the Daring's eyes as he watched in horror as he lost control of his grip around Raven, his arm losing feeling and movement with each heartbeat, and before he could react she was yanked away from him, his now useless arm falling limply to his side.

"Spawn!" The Evil Queen quickly spelled her wound to hold back the blood and neutralize most of the pain before she greeted Raven with a hug, seemingly unaware of how the girl squirmed in terror.

The Evil Queen shifted awkwardly on one leg, using magic to keep her balance, glancing up to Daring when the boy yelled out for Raven and attempted to charge over towards the Evil Queen sword drawn.

A flick of her pinky and a stone levitated high enough for him to trip and sprawl uselessly to the ground.

The Evil Queen sneered down at the prince as she levitated the Book, and herself several feet off the ground, she looked just as imposing as her inherited name described. "This isn't one of those fairytales where the prince saves the girl _little_ _boy_. So do yourself a favor and give up, let your end be a quick one." With that said the Evil Queen jumped herself and Raven straight up, flying high into the air, leaving an injured Daring to fend off the approaching golems on his own, adding to his defeat the blanket that once covered Raven fluttered to the ground and landed on the prince's head.

XXX

High in the sky with the school grounds safely far below, the Evil Queen took a quiet moment to hold onto the spawn and just allowed things to be still for a moment.

"What a truly vexing day." The woman sighed rubbing her blood smeared hands up and down Raven's back in a horrific imitation of what her mother had done with her when she was a witchling after a long tiring day. "But things are looking up, I have you now and soon the worlds will fall beneath my- _our_ feet. Isn't that a lovely thought? It's going to take some time of course but I know that you won't fail me." The Evil queen smiled dreamily over Raven's shoulder, the girl cringing at having the other so close.

"No, it would be impossible for you to fail me." The Evil Queen leaned back so that she could grip Raven's chin in her hand. "You are my masterpiece after all."

Raven felt herself moving backwards, away from her mother, and despite the momentary relief of being _away from her mother_, she dreaded whatever horrors would befall her next.

Her mother smiled softly when she paused to look at her and for a moment… she almost seemed like a normal mother smiling proudly at something that Raven had done. It was a little rough around the edges, nowhere near as warm as the way her father smiled at her when she did something particularly kind.

Despite being so kind the smile and the soft look that her mother was sending her way was… wrong… off… it lacked warmth or sanity and Raven remembered far too well the last time she had seen that expression.

Tears fell freely down her face, her heart tried to beat out of her chest wanting to abandon ship, wanting to runaway, and every intake of air felt like a shard of ice lodged in her windpipe.

Raven was _so scared_.

The Evil Queen sighed pityingly at the tears running down the spawn's face, it seemed as though much damage had been done to her spawn in her absence. "I had planned on revealing your glorious true form after you had turned but certain facts have come to light that have caused me to speed up the time table." The woman grabbed the Book of Legends floating obediently beside her and tossed it towards Raven where the tome came to a stop just above the younger's head. "Remember my lovely creation, though coming into your true self before you have had the chance to fully transform may leave you in quite a bit of shock, it will be well worth all the fear to see who you truly are."

Raven flinched as best she could when the crazed woman before her aimed the wand made from the bones of her grandmother's arm and hand towards her, the girl whimpered feeling extra vulnerable now that she was unable to even speak her objections to this whole situation.

"The magic that I have around you will help to lessen the pain considerably so there is no need for you to be frightened of this." Her mother consoled which only made Raven even more frightened.

The Evil Queen began chanting quietly under her breath a beam of magic shooting from the bone fingertip of the wand and hitting the Book of Legends above Raven's head.

Raven only had a few second to comprehend that the late afternoon sun began shining trough rapidly growing holes in the quarantine bubble that littered the edge of her vision as she looked up, the effect looking much like blue lace before she suddenly felt a shock of powerful energy entering her head and leaving her feet.

Movement returned to Raven's limbs and her body took full advantage, convulsing and flailing about in the vain hopes of somehow escaping as she kept her mouth open for screams that remained stubbornly silent.

As the Evil Queen's chanting grew louder, Raven felt tiny pricks of pain and lines of itchiness all over her torso and upper legs, it was a gut dropping sensation that reminded her of the feeling of getting a paper cut… only this time it was like getting lots of paper cuts, all over her body, at the exact same time.

Raven looked down, covering her mouth in horror as she witnessed her own blood blooming through her clothes, crimson droplets with an unnatural silvery sheen in the liquid floating upwards once they had broken free of the fabric. She lifted up her tunic, her eyes being greeted to blood seeping lazily through the reopened scars littering her body.

The memory of her grandmother's words on how the Evil Queen wanted to turn her into a golem of flesh and blood returned to her and Raven paled at the knowledge that in all of the scary stories of flesh golems, more commonly known as "_slave zombies_", she had heard from Gus growing up, _over half_ of the stolen bodies were corpses before being turned _into_ golems. A body did not have to be living to become a golem.

Raven's back arched when the pain intensified, the blood seeping upwards losing it's red color and becoming more and more silvery in color, the liquid converging and forming into something far above herself and the Book, the Evil Queen's chanting the only sound that could be heard over the rapid beating of her heart.

Raven caught sight of a blood red hilt before darkness clouded her vision.

A nudge of emotion seeped into Raven's awareness, feeling much like someone was trying to poke her awake from within her mind. Confused Raven mentally turned half of her attention towards the source mentally brushing her mind against the prodding until realization hit the witch that she had subconsciously put a shield between herself and Apple while the Evil Queen had…

Raven ripped away the mental barrier and lunged her mind to Apple's like a frightened child.

The princess readily embraced Raven, giving the comfort that Raven sorely needed right now.

Apple nudged Raven's mind again, suggesting without words that Raven should open her eyes.

Raven did not want to open her eyes, she wanted to stay with Apple and pretend that the Evil Queen wasn't currently killing her and turning her into a zombie, Raven wanted-

Apple nudged Raven harder accentuating the thought/feeling that Raven was obviously _not dead_.

Raven paused for a moment; from within her mind she could hear her own panicked heartbeat, feel her breath still draw into her lungs, and farther away from that she could hear… cackling…

In villains' 101 class it was encouraged to laugh evilly after a spell was cast, it struck fear into the minions and into the heroes of the story.

Had whatever happened to her… happened already? She wasn't dead so what…?

Raven hesitated to open her eyes, still frightened of what she might find. Apple nuzzled her mind with her own a feeling of determination and loyalty telling Raven that she would be with her every step of the way.

Slowly, meekly, Raven opened her eyes.

_Her body felt so sore_.

Raven whined in pain as she lifted her arm and flexed her hand in front of her face, relieved that she was still indeed alive and in control of her body, then wincing as she looked down to find blotches of red staining her clothes in the areas that weren't torn open. A cursory look under her ruined tunic showed thin red lines where all of her old scars had been reopened.

Just when they finally managed to fade back into normal skin color Raven thought mournfully.

Looking down soon proved a bad idea when it became apparent that she was floating higher than the tallest tower of the castle, so Raven quickly looked up, her eyes widening at what she saw.

Suspended above her head was the Book of Legends, and above the Book of Legends was a sword of one of the most elegant designs Raven had ever seen. What made it even more out of place was the magical aura she could sense off of it, a little bit of her own power, a little bit of something else's, but almost completely dark and twisted up, like it was mutating into something sinister, much like Raven herself was mutating.

"Behold the long lost sword of Excalibur!" The Evil Queen declared her voice making Raven and Apple startle.

The Evil Queen grinned at the sword wickedly, awe and victory written across her face. "Now do you see spawn? What your true destiny is? You are the descendant of the Keepers of the Sword and the one true heir to the land of Ever After! By surviving the rebirth of Excalibur you have proven that you are the next future king to rule them all! The one that will be your Queen's champion in the conquering of the worlds until everything is shaped anew!"

Greed overtook the awestruck glean in the woman's eye. "With my greatest weapon within my control a new kingdom will be born with me as it's-… I mean _us _as its rulers." The Evil Queen amended, Raven felt Apple bristle at the number of times the older woman seemed to include Raven only as a tool or an afterthought.

The Evil Queen turned to Raven with a look that made the girl's stomach squeamish. "After all what's a benevolent queen without her king aiding her in ruling the expanse of several worlds."

Raven held no shame in taking great comfort in the way Apple mentally snarled at the deranged woman and felt a protective, possessive rage over Raven's wellbeing consume the princess until the chill still invading Raven's body began to thaw away and Raven began feeling blessedly much warmer.


	20. The one where some hope comes back pt1

Author's note (skip or not it's fine):

Sorry for the long wait and the shorter-than-usual chapters, between technical difficulties and a busy schedule I haven't been able to work on this as much as I would have liked, so here's the edited section part of the chapter I had finished.

And thank you for the reviews, they are wonderful and I love them!

Hope you like this tiny bit as well, and hopefully I'll finish this sometime this year.

Here we go!

XXX

The one where some hope come back

XXX

Raven floated limply in the air within the bright spot-light of largest hole in the quarantine shield framing her body almost angelically, back arched, skin deathly pale, faintly glowing dark contaminated veins and arteries began to spread slowly beneath visible translucent pale skin, her hair floated weightless around her head as if she were under water, droplets of liquid silver had replaced the crimson red seeping from wounds in the girl's very skin, in sections the witch's clothing tore open where so much of the silvery material had collected beneath the fabric that the material could not take the strain.

The silver liquid floated upwards in drops, curving around the Book of Legends to collect and form, the new object's final shape becoming more and more apparent to be that of a sword as the minutes ticked by.

Hovering before the nightmarish scene was the Evil Queen, chanting and gesturing as a grand maestro conducting the events as they transpired, the woman's voice filled the air in demonic tones that tainted the mood with a heaviness that made it difficult to move away from the sight.

"Holy motherfucker!" Faybelle swore softly. "We- we're too late?"

"Don't assume that just yet Faybelle." Briar snarled from the phone. "Apple is still connected to what is left of her that's still alive, she can pull Raven out of this."

"She's still alive?" Faybelle choked in horrified awe. "Are you sure?"

As if in response Raven jerked her head to the side and twitched for a bit before slowly cracking her eyes open wearily.

"Shit she _is_ alive!" The fairy hissed, her eyes as wide as Raven's as the younger witch began looking around fearfully as the Evil Queen spoke.

"Is that really _the_ Excalibur?" Cerise whispered her hair standing on end and her teeth looking longer than usual.

"Don't know, but whatever that thing is, it's powerful, like so insanely powerful I can sense it in my bones, and whatever is trying to transform Raven is trying to do the same to it so… we are screwed if that thing reaches Wonderland… well we are screwed anyway once that curse has finished it's job so…" Faybelle rambled her wings quaking slightly as she looked from Raven struggling anew in the air, to the enlarging holes in the quarantine bubble, to the hoards of golems marching (slithering, hopping, floating) into place around the widening portal to Wonderland and quickly closing in on two shadowed figures, one laying prone on the ground the other swinging a weapon desperately-

"Hey is that Daring?" Faybelle's observation caused all attention to turn downwards.

"Crap he needs help." Cerise made to get up only to be held in place by Faybelle's strong grip.

"What are you crazy?" The fairy shook the other slightly. "You're seriously planning on going down there by yourself without even a weapon?"

Before Cerise could growl and shake off the other's grip Cedar pulled out a heart shaped hair pin and with surprising dexterity for her condition she twirled it around and around, the pin getting curiously bigger with each rotation until something clicked mechanically and the large pin sprouted two sharp blades to form a battle ax.

"I gave that to her earlier after we spied the Evil Queen in the girl's dorms, just incase there was an emergency." Lizzie's voice broke Faybelle and Cerise from their stunned positions.

"Thanks." Cerise smiled as she pried the offered weapon from Cedar's stiff grip.

"Cerise you better not die on me for trying to be a hero!" Briar snapped from the phone. "The moment you are able you had better call Blondie's forum and keep your line of communication on, and also you owe me one hell of a date after I hand you your own ass!"

"I look forward to living that heavenly moment." Cerise grinned goofily, her sharp fangs showing. "You two had better not die either ya hear? Good luck!" Cerise spoke to her two companions before blinking out of sight, leaving the remaining two to stare wide-eyed at the phone.

"Did Briar just make a date in the middle of a warzone?" Faybelle muttered brows furrowed.

Cedar opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by Hunter's shouts from the phone.

"Everyone get back behind the safety perimeter! We've got golems approaching down the main road!"

XXX

"You heard him, everyone who is not guarding or working in the cooking or communications stations get back far behind the line!" Ashlynn ordered loudly pointing down to the line of picked Bleeding rebel Heart plants lining the upper bank of Legends River.

Further down the road there were indeed golems to be seen lumbering towards them, ghastly creatures of mismatched design that Ashlynn swore could have only come out of a nightmare… or the mind of someone completely evil.

"Time to find out just how well this Bleeding Rebel Heart stuff works." Lizzie growled determined as she pulled a pair of metal gloves out of her pocket.

"Lizzie stop, let my dragons-" Ashlynn tried but stopped when her friend held up her metal covered hand.

"Your dragons are needed protecting the remaining injured and the rest of the student body. We'll be stretched too thin otherwise." The girl of hearts pointed out. "And besides, I'm from Wonderland and I'm the future heir to the Heart throne." Lizzie grinned like a feral Jabberwocky. "I've been trained for battle since the age I could walk."

"Still you shouldn't risk yourself- oh my gosh!" Ashlynn began to protest but the sight of Gus tripping over a tree root, tumbling down a small rocky hill as a result, and one of the golems (made from a mixture of burlap, metal springs, skiing equipment, swords and daggers; to form a creature with long springy ski legs, swords for hands, and daggers for teeth) picking up speed towards the crying boy struggling to get back up caused the girl to cry out.

Hunter moved leaping over rocks and gnarled tree roots to reach the boy before the approaching golem did. Finding with a grimace when he had reached the other that the boy's foot had twisted in an unnatural angle meaning that their escape would be slowed down far too much to avoid confrontation. A shriek from the golem sent a bolt of cold adrenaline to fill the huntsman's veins causing Hunter to ignore Gus's cries of pain in favor of picking the boy up and running back.

"Let's move." Lizzie nodded to her fellow countrymen, Kitty slipped on a pair of potion laced metal gloves of her own and Maddie adjusted her hat which had recent purple stains on the fabric before the cat-girl grabbed both of their wrists to spirit the three of them away.

No one noticed the three girl's exit, they were far too focused on the sight of Hunter holding an injured Gus and running as fast as he could from the horrific thing chasing after them, it's sword-hands slicing the air in anticipation for when it caught up to the two.

"Hunter!" Ashlynn screamed when with a shrill cry the golem took an unexpected running leap, set to pounce right on top of the fleeing boys.

"Off with your head!" Lizzie let out a cry of her own, appearing in the creature's path, hands raised to slice back.

The creature only had time to creak in surprise before Lizzie made a wide sweep of her arm; a sharp percussion of air and purple magic found itself sailing through the golem's leg and side and traveling through the air reaching it's brethren who were charging down the road.

Lizzie landed gracefully to the ground behind the golem, who had fallen just feet away from Hunter and Gus's retreating figures, the creature struggled to remain held together while on it's remaining sword-hand and ski knees even as it's fellow golems down the road screamed and collapsed into their base materials.

Another golem of similar design leapt out of the trees, bounding towards Lizzie, a screech escaping its toothy maw.

A tiny hat flew into view, turning and curving unnaturally in the air as it first sliced off the top of the golem's binocular eyes causing the creature to yelp, putting it's fencing blade-hands at it's lost source of vision while in mid-jump before the hat circled back to cut the golem in half.

Lizzie brushed some imaginary dirt off of her dress, idly kicking a stray fallen spring away from where it rolled near her heeled boot, in the distance the inhuman screams of perishing golems could be heard as Kitty and Maddie worked as a team blinking in and out of existence as they slayed the enemy. Kitty's gloves held retractable spikes, which she used to rip through her targets while Maddie used a combination between the sharpened rim of her hat and a teapot, her training in the various arts of Wonderland tea-making becoming very apparent as the hatter girl bent the hot tea water from the spout to circle around her prey like a noose, the moment the golems touched the flavored water they disassembled into harmless parts.

"There's more where that came from." Lizzie informed the struggling creature behind her as she turned to walk casually beside it. "I don't know if you can relay messages back to your mistress or if I had merely temporarily spared you for no good reason other than an unfounded hunch, either way this will be satisfying." The girl stood in front of the hissing creature, glaring at its binocular eyes.

"Wonderland will never be defeated. Your crimes against us will be punished. The lives of my fallen people and the murder of my harem wife Lenna will be avenged. We will defeat your armies. We will take Raven from you and bring her back to us. You will fall by our hand. I'll see to it that it is so." The girl told the creature calmly before slicing off its head.

Lizzie flipped out her phone and dialed.

"-got Lizzie on line three." Humphrey's voice called out from the mirrorphone.

"Holy spellbooks they're cutting right through those things." Lizzie identified the awed female voice as Charlotte coming from a further distance away.

"Lizzie, call Maddie and Kitty and get back here." Ashlynn ordered trying to remain calm. "If you are planning what I think you are planning then you would have a better chance at surviving if you got back here and helped us formulate a battle strategy rather than going gun ho all by yourselves. Just because the rest of us didn't grow up in Wonderland doesn't mean that we can't fight too."

"Glad to hear that you are willing to help out." Lizzie smirked at the princess on her screen.

"We don't have much choice but to fight back now if we ever want to get Raven back alive, how she has survived this long is just… I would feel better if we did something to at least attempt to get her away from that, no one should be going through what she is currently going through." Ashlynn sighed wiping away stray tears before her face hardened to that of a seasoned general. "And there is a chance that we can weaken the Evil Queen enough to save our worlds from her if we act now. We have to at least try!"

"Hextra good, I'll make a queen out of you yet!" Lizzie praised. "Speaking of, connect me to my mother if you would."

"How's the battlefield?" The Queen of Heart's demanded as her face appeared on screen. In the background Lizzie could hear Hunter command the princes, witches, and anybody else who knew how to fight to gather whatever weapon that they could find that hadn't already been doused in some form of Bleeding Rebel Heart concoction to line up over by the cooking area to douse their things in the brewing potions, anybody else ready for battle needed to suit up to the best of their abilities and line up over by the dragons.

"The potion specially designed to dispel the Evil Queen's magic is even more powerful than anything else we've seen thus far." Lizzie reported her gaze eyeing the way Maddie's tea bending took out an entire group of over twenty golems when the tea was turned into a misty rain. "Speaking of, I think that I know how we can add one more defense to the portal of our homeland…"

XXX

The Evil Queen paused in her mad cackling, her eyes un-focusing for a moment before she gasped in outrage.

"How insulting of that little miserable heart girl! Oooh, I knew that she would one day cause me trouble, if only that assassination attempt had worked! But how did she get so powerful? She was able to destroy so many of my golems… unless I'm mistaken? Uuaguh! It's so difficult keeping track of those ones what with so much of this damn shield still in effect and the hassle of preparing the spawn in this gods forsaken place. All this is highly inappropriate for a smooth transition. Should have killed father, perhaps uncle too, and made certain that mother was long gone for good from the very start… no wait that would defeat the purpose of having them watch as I become a god… but on the other hand…" The Evil Queen muttered to herself, turning to the side, hand beneath her chin as she thought about her life choices on who she should have killed or spared throughout the years.

Raven could feel Apple make the mental equivalent of the coo-coo sign and felt-commented at the witch something demeaning about the older woman's sanity.

Raven winced as her body ache intensified when she tried to kick free of the spell holding her in the air and couldn't help but agree fully with the princess.

The Evil Queen paused again startling when she peered down to the ground below them.

"How in the world are all of these brats managing to defeat so many golems in one sitting?" She exclaimed. "Just what the hell happened to the world while I was in that mirror? And what kind of school teaches… a maiden… yep that's a very fast maiden for sure, I think… who teaches maidens how to fight anyway? That's just not how the story is supposed to go! Dear gods my mother must have rubbed off something that's actually halfway practical onto my father… what a disturbing thought- hey stop that you brat!" The Evil Queen yelled to whatever was happening below her. Raven couldn't see exactly what was going on due to being stuck with her front facing the sky and having to gather much concentration to move and not scream from the aching pain all over.

The Evil Queen moved closer a tendril of her "hair" slithered out to wrap around Raven's wrists and ankles, the freezing cold feeling of her mother's magic invading her bloodstream causing Raven to arch back and open her mouth in a silent scream.

"Spawn be good and try to tough out the transformation alone for a moment, I've got an issue that needs to be dealt with." With that said the woman detached herself and flew down and away.

Apple attacked the newly invading power with such a fervently severe attitude that it didn't even have a chance to take root in Raven's warming heart. The emotions of the princess's protectiveness and love made Raven flush with a happy feeling that comforted her slightly in her situation.

Raven stilled, looking up at the blue sky and the fluffy white clouds in contemplation as she let her aching body rest for a moment.

It seemed wrong that the weather wasn't complying with the mood of this serious situation.

_I don't know what to do Apple_. Raven thought desperately as she sniffed reaching a hand up to the inviting bright sky. _I'm so scared, please save me. Get me out of here_.

Raven let her tears fall freely as she covered her face to cry, sobs wracking her body as she hung in the air, helpless to defend herself.

"Hey enough of that." A new voice cut in gently making Raven uncover her eyes to see Faybelle flying above her.

"Don't act so surprised, I am very invested in not letting my family's sworn enemy win anything and that includes not letting her have you." The fairy declared boldly while flying in a circle around the sword, inspecting it.

Raven smiled widely looking relieved and began feeling cautious hope creep into her when the fairy took out a large bottle from her side pouch and used the eyedropper cap to place drops of purple liquid along the hilt and handle causing the touched areas to spark and glow white, dispelling the evil aura in those places.

Raven felt the side of her pants to see if her pockets and the handkerchiefs that Apple always made certain that she carried around had stayed intact, the witch quacked at Faybelle, who was making to rip her own tunic for a cloth to wipe the sword down with, the witch holding up a slightly bloodied handkerchief cloth for the fairy to take instead.

Faybelle grabbed the offered cloth and began applying a liberal amount of the purple liquid onto it before quickly wiping the weapon down wincing when the object crackled and sparked but dared not to stop as the cursed magic surrounding it began to break apart and fade away.

As the last of the curse left the sword leaving behind a brilliantly shiny finish Raven squeaked as felt the sudden return of gravity.

"Ah!" Faybelle reached for Raven with her power, halting the witch mid-fall with her magic while keeping a tight hold of the sword as she did so.

"Hang in there for just a moment more." Faybelle warned, awkwardly trying to squeeze drops of her potion onto the cursed cover of the Book of Legends while keeping hold on the sword. Raven let out an amused sigh at the odd phrasing; it wasn't as if she were capable of going anywhere at the moment.

The power around the Book fizzled and dimmed, gravity came back to the tome as well, Raven catching it within her arms with a pained gasp from having to move.

"Let's get you out of sight." Faybelle flew down to fly beside Raven as she took the witch back to the hiding place where Cedar was waiting.


	21. The one where some hope comes back pt2

The one where some hope comes back pt.2

XXX

They were completely surrounded, Daring lost count how many golems he had cut down by this point and the sheer number of approaching creatures was obviously far too many to strike down all on his own, especially since the ones made from harder materials were the most difficult to kill and him left to do battle with his non-dominate hand while his left swung limply by his side… he was not going to make it. No doubt he'd be seeing Elenore in the other world as well for she had barley moved thus far and as far as he could tell she perhaps did not have long either.

However he would not go down without a fight, if he were to die here in this nightmare then he was not going to curl up on the ground and go silently. He would not. He refused with an animalistic viciousness to suffer that indignity and let the Evil Queen win that much over him in his final moments.

He grit his teeth as his ears rang painfully with the sound of an approaching golem running right for him, the glass shards it had for teeth parted in preparation for ripping apart his flesh.

There was a whooshing sound, a compression of air and the attacking golem disassembled with a shocked cry into a pile of broken glass feet away from Daring.

The prince turned in a fast circle on the balls of his feet as the howls from the golems turned from those of battle to ones of confusion before they all collapsed in a widening circle around Elenore and himself.

"Cerise!" Daring laughed, tears of relief springing to his eyes. "Saving my hide again as usual! Many thanks my friend!" he called out, Cerise's returning laugh reaching his ears as even more golems fell by her hand.

Elenore groaned gritting her teeth as she tried to gather enough of her form to get up.

"Kingdoms I thought that being dead would mean that I wouldn't feel as much pain when she pulls stunts like that." She grumbled getting to her knees.

"Lady Elenore!" Daring rushed to the ghostly woman's side. "I had thought you were nearly about to enter the next life!" He exclaimed as he helped her to her feet.

"It will take a lot more than that cheap-shot to take me down." The woman assured with a kind smile. "Sorry for leaving you to do most of the hard work for a bit, though I must say you have exceeded my expectations." She looked around slightly stunned. "By several thousand times."

Daring smile widened. "This wasn't all me, my friend Cerise did most of it, she's a strong warrior, one of the strongest and fastest heroes that Ever After has ever seen!"

At that moment Cerise decided to blink back to stand in front of the two, battle-ax in one hand and clutching closed a tear in her hood with the other.

"Pleasure to meet your acquaintance my Lady." Cerise grinned for a moment before her face turned to concern at the sight of Daring's condition. "Daring what happened to your arm?"

"I'll explain later." The boy coughed sheepishly.

"Your hood tells me that you are Little Red Riding Hood's daughter." Elenore stared at the girl curiously. "Although your speed… pardon but is it safe for me to guess or would you prefer it…"

"It's fine to announce who my father is now I suppose." Cerise hummed pulling back her hood. "After all it's kind of silly keeping one hand over my hood in the middle of this just so that I can cover my ears."

Daring's jaw dropped and his eyes bugged out comically.

"Just as I suspected." Elenore nodded to self-satisfied herself.

"Listen, I'd love to explain things further, and to patch up Daring's arm, but we've got crazy lady coming at us in five." Cerise's ears twitched in the direction behind her before she turned around and settled into a fighting stance, ax laid across both hands.

Elenore fused back into Daring's sword the prince taking up a position ready for battle as well.

"Who dares try to defy me?" The Evil Queen demanded, flying down towards the three before halting to float several feet above them.

Daring screwed up his face looking pained as his eyes were forced to be treated to an eyeful of what was under the woman's short skirt. To his horror there was absolutely _nothing there_ to cover the woman up!

He was going to have nightmares about that if he were lucky enough to survive this, he was _sure of it_! He thought his eye twitching.

Cerise refused to be phased by the woman's presence or half nudity.

"I am Cerise! Daughter of Red Riding Hood and The Big Bad Wolf!" The girl declared proudly, looking the Evil queen defiantly in the eye with her own golden ones.

The Evil Queen blinked in surprise. "You're Simone's- I didn't know that she had a daughter spawn's age. We were roommates for years, why didn't she say something?" The woman had the gall to wonder.

"It might've had something to do with my mixed forbidden heritage, that and how the two of you clashed literal swords when you tried to invade my father's pack's territory." Cerise replied back flatly, remembering how her mother had described her old roommate to be out of her mind and prone to strange moods, and tended to be especially strange when she tried to fit reality into terms that fit into her own little skewed worldview.

"That was why she was in such a tiff!" The Evil Queen snapped her fingers in realization. "She was fond of ax's as well you know, which considering who your father is… is a little sadistic but then again Simone had always been a little odd in the head if you ask me. I offered for her to join me you know, I could have used her scrappy fighting style and her knowledge of the forest to my advantage." The woman sighed wistfully.

Cerise scoffed, _her_ mother was odd in the head? More like she learned not to put up with crap from anyone after being exposed to her crazy roommate for year after year (no one opposed Little Red Riding Hood's decision to marry The Big Bad Wolf for very long, Cerise's mother singlehandedly cowed her own close relatives and earned a great deal of respect from the pack, like as in they pretty much treated her as if she were a fellow wolf and an alpha female to boot).

The Evil queen eyed the girl contemplatively. "Say you wouldn't happen to know where-"

"My mother and father left for spring break earlier this week, it will still be some time even with my father's speed for them to get over here to kick some golem ass." Cerise informed dryly.

The Evil Queen did not seem phased. "And what about you?"

"I'd prefer the glory of going out fighting you and your armies, so thanks but no thanks." Cerise's sarcastic tone was lost on the older female.

"Simone said the same thing! You really are her daughter." The Evil queen hummed almost approvingly. "I suppose your request is highly likely to turn out like that, though should the fates be kind and I capture you… I guess the spawn would enjoy a companion pet… even though you are a bit mouthy…"

"How many times do I have to tell you that people aren't pets?" Elenore barked from the sword.

Cerise's hair bristled and she growled in agreement.

"Mom! How long is it going to take for you to move on and leave me to my own life?" The Evil Queen lit up her hands and shot a few spheres of dark magic in jest towards the prince and the sword.

Cerise swung the ax to dispel most of the attack taking out more golems in the distance as she swung the blade; Daring's sword glowed with a fierce magical aura and took out the rest of the attack.

"Speaking of one of the reasons why I'm here; how are you able to defeat my armies so easily?" The Evil Queen demanded sounding like a whiny child.

"Magic." Was Cerise's defiant reply, making the Evil Queen sigh.

"You are definitely Simone's daughter." The older woman nodded to herself before lighting one of her hands up once again, the other reaching for the bone wand tucked in between the end of the tear in her dress and her abdomen.

A loud explosion behind her made the Evil Queen freeze and turn sharply around to see that something had set off in the middle of the golem army surrounding the Wonderland portal.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Shouted a Russian accent gleefully, as a tiny little man whooped and hollered while clinging onto the back of Professor Baba Yaga's flying rug, the woman herself cackling evilly as she flew by.

"I told you keeping that explosive metal in storage would come in handy one day!" The crone cackled.

The Evil Queen felt a curious pick up in the wind but did not pay much mind to it, far too perplexed at the odd sight of two of the oldest instructors at Ever After flying around as if they were children.

The lack of any replies behind her eventually drew the Evil Queen's attention. "They've run off haven't they?" The woman muttered dryly to the air before turning around. "Yep. They've gone."

She supposed that it was only to be expected of any child raised by her old roommate, to cart away the injured before they got hurt even further. Simone had always been more sympathetic to the people the Evil Queen used to terrorize in an attempt to fit into her destiny better (Simone always had impossible strict guidelines on how the Evil Queen was to go about being evil that she would try to implement "to keep my sanity intact while I'm stuck living with you" she'd always say for some reason).

The Evil Queen was also reminded on how the Big Bad Wolf tended to solve conflicts, he used to slink quietly away before coming back at some random moment to exact justice, since this girl was the love child of her old roommate and the wolf-boy…

The Evil Queen sighed tiredly; she was going to have to work fast if she had any hope of acquiring Simone's child for an exotic pet that could fight beside her spawn, some familiarity and such a rarity in mix-breeding would no doubt help spawn ease the transition from living in this hell to the divine kingdom that the Evil Queen would build.

Simone might also wish to follow her daughter, might be more willing to side with the Evil Queen if given the right incentive…

For purely tactical purposes of course, who would know the ways of the dark forest better than the bride of The Big Bad Wolf, and since the Evil Queen would be very busy constructing a new empire someone had to give the spawn some proper motherly love.

It wasn't as though the Evil Queen actually missed the other female.

That would just be far too absurd.

However the past was the past and at the moment the Evil Queen needed to get back to the spawn to-

The Evil Queen's eyes widened as she looked up.

The spawn was gone.

"Spawn? Spawn!" The woman exclaimed worriedly as she flew upwards.

XXX

"Faybelle's got Raven." Ashlynn reported.

"Let me see her." Apple demanded loudly, to be heard over the cheers in the background.

Raven whined clutching the phone closer to her as Apple's face filled the screen.

"Oh Raven." Apple gasped tearing up, the witch looked really beat up, and looked about ready to break at any moment. "I'm so sorry, oh look at what she's done to you!"

Raven whined again sending feelings of reassurance through to the princess.

"We won't let her get away with this Raven." Hunter's voice promised. "We will get you out of there and we are going to weaken that crazy nut-so lady enough for Wonderland to finish her off, we are all behind you don't forget that ok?"

Even though Raven could not see his face the witch managed a brave little smile and nodded.

"Spawn? Spawn?" The Evil Queen called out making everybody go silent. Faybelle took back Raven's phone and hit the incoming-mute button before going very still.

Raven felt Apple's determination and a quick glance at her phone showed the princess blowing her a kiss and mouthing words to her.

_"I'm coming for you."_ Is what Raven managed to decipher before the princess put her phone into her pocket.

XXX

"How does Briar do it?" Daring mumbled as he shakily stepped out of Cerise's arms, his hair completely wind-swept and wild.

"Those are some serious glamor spells." Cerise whistled looking at the blank section wall where there used to be a door leading to one of the school lounges.

"Lot of good that did us." Elenore sighed emerging from Daring's sword and taking a step towards the wall spoken of. "Miss Hood if you could please call the friends you spoke about while you were running while I set on getting us inside?"

Cerise got out her mirrorphone and began to dial.

"Elenore!" The voice of Milton Grimm called out from down the hall, the man limped to the witch as fast as his bad leg would allow, gathering her up into a strong hug when he reached her.

"Yes it's Elenore! Good! Now please let go of her so that she can help us!" Giles begged his brother as he ran down the hall with a large pot of something being held in his hands and a horde of angry golems behind him.

Cerise didn't waste time; in a blur of red she was behind the retreating man and with one mighty sweep of her ax the golems in the hall collapsed.

"Elenore or Miss Hood, either one will do apparently." Giles corrected himself.

"Cerise? Cerise what's going on?" Briar's voice demanded from an inside pocket of the wolf-girl's hood.

"I've just found the Headmaster and Giles Grimm and we are now going to patch Daring's arm up and fill everyone in on what we're doing." Cerise told the princess taking her phone back out and turning the screen so that Ashlynn could see what was going on.

"Miss Hood your ears…" The Headmaster pointed staring wide-eyed.

"The Grand Coven won't get here in time to rescue us so we the students have taken the initiative to save Raven and weaken the Evil Queen as much as we can. Wonderland is backing us up and will be ready to send their forces in the second the portal opens. We have harvested enough Bleeding Rebel Hearts to cover as many weapons that we could get our hands on. We have gained control over the school communications and will begin sending a concussion of curses and spells in approximately three minutes. Our impromptu rescue party will be there shortly. And Faybelle currently has secured Raven in a safe place for the moment." Ashlynn cut in with a look that said that they did not have time to be discussing anyone's heritage.

"The students- but- don't you know just how dangerous that is?" Milton cried in worry.

"Golems have already tried to attack us and even more will no doubt be coming once your little quarantine shield finishes collapsing. Headmaster if we do not act now we are in for a full-out war on our hands and most likely most of us would not have been able to survive that first golem attack if we hadn't taken the initiative to fight instead of run." Ashlynn told the man severely as if he were a child that had said a bad word in front of polite company. "We may just be high school students but many of us are also the future rulers or protectors to all sorts of realms and worlds it is our training and our duty to protect our people no matter our age or the cost. Whether you like it or not we are not backing down as long as this woman reins terror down upon the people we love and wish to protect."

Over the resulting whoops and cheers from Ashlynn's speech the Headmaster winced looking slightly like a scolded child much to Elenore's amusement.

"Looks like we have no choice but to trust that they know what they are doing beloved. Let's at least try to make things easier on them when they do get here, and ensure the safety of our grandchild." The witch spoke softly as she squeezed her arm more securely around his shoulders. "In this situation we have to at least try."

"Fine." Milton sighed in defeat. "I do suppose we have no choice."

"As much as I am enjoying this touching moment we had better get started on our plan." Giles gave his brother a knowing look.

"Plan?" Asked Daring.

"We put some of Miss Queen's serum into the fire sprinkler system." Giles looked warily behind him as the groans of approaching golems resumed. "We just need to set them off to take care of the ones inside."

"Sounds like a plan. Daring let me take off your jacket so that you can get some of that stuff on your injured arm." Cerise announced placing her phone back into her hood's pocket and set to work gingerly peeling the protesting prince's jacket off of his frame.

"Injured?" Dexter's worried voice sounded from Cerise's hood. "What do you mean by injured?"

"It looks like he got hit by my daughter's poisonous bite spell, he'll be fine, and hopefully the arm will not be requiring amputation, as long as we treat it now." Elenore said mostly to the squirming boy when she turned to help Cerise hold him still.

Cerise sucked air through her teeth when she managed to slip the sleeves off his arms, the burns were green and seeping yellowing puss, angry red lines spread from the infected areas, and the skin of Daring's arm was turning a bruising black.

"It looks worse than it actually is?" Daring chuckled nervously when Cerise gave him a glare.

"Do the fire sprinklers react to heat or smoke?" Elenore asked lighting up her one good hand.

"Smoke." Giles supplied helpfully.

There was a soft thunk of something falling to the floor but before Daring could turn to see what it was Cerise had shoved a belt into his mouth.

"You're going to want to bite on this." Was the only warning he got before the sprinklers began spraying light purple tinted water.

The prince cringed, whimpering around the leather belt clenched tightly in his teeth as both Cerise and Elenore held him still and tried to expose as much of his wounds to the spray.

All over the school the shrieks of dying golems could be heard their sounds so loud that no one noticed the bone wand, which had fallen to the floor, spark and sizzle violently before the boney pointer finger curled into the palm forming a fist and all of the power within had been released.

"Well at least there is a bright side to my condition." Elenore commented prying the belt from Daring's mouth with both hands and giving it back to a wide-eyed Cerise. "At least I'm not soaking wet."

"It's a bit too soon for me to hear you making those kind of comment-Elenore your hands!" Milton cut himself off reaching to clasp both of the witch's hands in his own.

Elenore's eyes widened. "Indeed my arm is back! But how-? I thought that my daughter had it!"

"And by "had it" you mean that creepy wand made out of bones is actually… _your_ arm?" Cerise piped up quickly spying said wand on the floor and snatching it up out of sight under her hood to spare the ghostly woman from having to see it. "The Evil Queen got distracted so I took the opportunity to nick it off of her… um congratulations on getting your arm back?" She coughed awkwardly, because it was one thing to hold the arm when she didn't know whom it used to belong to but now… well it was kind of creepy -er, creepier than before. To give herself something to do Cerise took her mirrorphone back out to make room for the… Elenore's remains, and also to include Ashlynn in on what was happening at the moment with visuals.

Elenore grinned wickedly, taking her hands out of the Headmaster's grip to turn to Cerise. "I got back more than just my arm Miss Hood."

The witch lit up with magical power, the strength of which even Daring could feel. "The the full extent of my powers have been returned to me, I can now do battle against my daughter with my capabilities at their fullest." Elenore's eyes were wild but in a way that made Cerise's inner wolf want to follow this woman into battle no matter the danger. "I am back! Thank you Miss Hood!"

"Anytime Lady Elenore." Cerise blushed looking to a spot on the floor.

"Elenore…" Milton reached for the witch cupping her face and giving her a pleading look.

Elenore's grin softened into a smile, her magic surrounding the both of them. "You know that it must be this way beloved." She murmured placing one hand on his and the other to cup Milton's face. "If there is anyone that can keep up with my daughter it's me and besides, this time I won't be alone."

She leaned forward Milton meeting her halfway and the two exchanged a kiss.

Cerise and Daring turned their heads sharply away while Giles gave the two a sad look.

The kiss lasted longer than what the teens were comfortable with but when it finally finished Elenore stepped back with a lingering touch, her wicked grin back in place before disappearing in a rush of magic.

"Let's get to work." Milton stated blinking away his tears. "Let's give Elenore and my granddaughter all the help we can give."

XXX

"Where are you?" The Evil Queen called trying to sense out the spawn.

She knew that the girl was somewhere in the general area but the spawn was not using her magic so the Evil Queen couldn't pinpoint her exact location.

The Evil Queen suddenly startled badly when her senses were overwhelmed by a horrifyingly, _familiar_ magical signature.

Magic wrapped around her before the Evil Queen could react throwing her roughly to the ground far below.

The Evil Queen barely had time to shield herself before her body rammed into the trees, the hard ground pushing back against her shields until she skidded to a stop, fallen vegetation and a large divot in the ground having been left in her wake.

The Evil Queen's eyes widened as far as they would go once she lowered her arms to look up.

Elenore in her full, magic powered, glory floated high above the Evil Queen's head, her wicked grin holding a deadly edge to it. _Both_ of her hands were lit with magical energy.

The Evil Queen looked down to her body, noticing with growing alarm that her bone wand was missing.

It had to have been stolen by Simone's Halfling child; no one else had the opportunity!

But her personal seals should have prevented anybody taking anything off of the Evil Queen, what made Simone's daughter special enough to even touch her let alone steal the wand and take down so many of her army?

The Evil Queen would have to capture that child, and after proper disciplinary measures the Halfling would have to be studied, the woman began to plan.

Elenore witch fired off two warning shots of magic to get her daughter's attention, the Evil Queen moving fast to duck out of the way, cursing under her breath when a jolt of pain ran up from her injured knee.

"Don't be so naïve as to think that I'd let you kill me that easily Clawstorm!" Elenore roared like the mighty dragon she now resembled.

The Evil Queen ground her teeth together leaping into the air to hover across from her meddling mother.

"This will be the last time you meddle into my life mom, this time I am sending you to the afterlife and I will make sure that you don't cheat your fate again!" The Evil Queen declared her hands wielding tainted magic of the vilest level that she could summon.

"The only way you can ever be certain of that is if you are dragged into the afterlife with me." Elenore countered, the two witches now circling each other, flying higher and higher into the air.

"Enough of your lies! I killed you once, I can do it again!" The Evil Queen proclaimed.

"And I will drag you with me to our eternal rest." Elenore promised solemnly.

With that said the two witches charged.


	22. The one where some hope comes back pt3

The one where some hope comes back pt.3

XXX

"This is our chance, we need to strike now while the Evil Queen is preoccupied." Ashlynn told Hunter reaching out to hold his hand.

The boy nodded, still keeping a hold of her hand when he turned to address the watching crowed. "You heard the lady! Strike team saddle up on the dragons and wait for my go ahead! Home defense assume formation around the brewing and communications stations! Medical defense take those left who are unable to fight or work and escort them to the safe location further into the forest, then assume formation to defend Healer Phalange and her charges if necessary until the Grand Coven arrives! Remember to be careful everybody we want as little newly injured as possible! Dexter, Humphrey, please hold off on sending the accumulated curses and spells from everyone until we are almost into position."

"You remember to be careful too." Ashlynn commanded Hunter while everybody else was rushing into position. "I want to spend the rest of my happily ever after with you and I won't forgive you if you don't come back to help me make that happen."

Hunter gave a sappy smile, saluting before pulling Ashlynn into a kiss. "I promise to fight tooth and nail to come back to you." He promised. "And you must also promise to be there when I get back, no matter what it won't feel like a victory unless you are there to smile and kiss me hello."

Ashlynn laughed. "I promise to fight tooth and nail to see that happen as well." She smiled and gave Hunter one last kiss before he jogged away towards the waiting dragons.

The princess took a moment to look around, people were either giving their friends who were leaving to fight or staying at the riverbank wishes of good luck, worry etched onto their faces.

The most notable farewell was taking place between Ginger and the Crumb cousins, Gus refused to leave the brewing station after his leg had been realigned and put into a makeshift splint, the numbing spell Ginger had placed on his injury was so effective that the boy had seen no reason to leave (much to Ginger's worry) he had stubbornly set to work helping the other witches and fairies prepare the bundles of gathered plants for the cauldrons (or where there was no cauldron or pot, the fairies with affinities to water were suspending the hot liquid in the air as a witch fed ingredients into it).

Helga and Gus were putting up a fuss because Ginger was going off to fight and they simply did not approve of the possibility of losing the witch just when they had just gotten to know and really like her, she had become family as far as they were concerned and families stuck together, Helga was even threatening to go with if Ginger had even so much as stepped a foot towards the waiting dragons.

Ashlynn sighed ready to intervene but then Faybelle's voice piped up from the collection of mirrorphones.

"Ashlynn, what about us? Is the original plan still a go or should we try to make a run for it now?" The fairy asked, Raven curiously peering over her shoulder, both girls winced when a explosion of clashing magic sounded somewhere above them.

"At this point in time, if you run or if one of our guys picks you up there is a chance that the Evil Queen would see and we'd be putting ourselves and Raven into unnecessary danger." Ashlynn sighed thinking furiously, hoping to make the right decision. "But this is a warzone so that may be likely to change in the blink of an eye so if getting to Wonderland is more dangerous than running… try to reach the backup communications tower, with both Apple and Raven together they stand a better chance of protecting themselves and those around them."

Raven nodded wincing when the skin on her shoulder was aggravated.

"I agree." Faybelle stated eyeing Raven. "Wonderland seems to be the best option, even with a no-pain spell this one's still wincing if she so much as turns her head and Cedar has barely moved at all… which is a little disturbing."

"Hang tight alright, Wonderland will tell you when the portal opens wide enough for you guys." Ashlynn sent another mental prayer that they all made it out.

The princess turned to the little drama by the brewing area to find that whatever conflict there was had just been resolved because Ginger was hugging her two humans farewell before turning to catch up with the others on the dragons, the Crumb cousins bravely waving to their witch and yelling wishes of good luck's and we won't let you downs's. Apparently Ginger had just put them in charge of the brewing station.

"Please be safe." Blondie pleaded Cupid as she hugged the winged girl.

Cupid was standing tall and as goddess-like as ever, with her wings slightly unfurled and casting off a regal quality all on their own, but there was a certain tenderness as the deity gently laid her arms across the smaller blonde's (Cupid seemed to have had a growth spurt of some sort in the past hour) shoulders.

"I will come back." Cupid promised letting the reporter tuck her head under her chin. "I will end this nightmare, I will come back to you." Cupid promised again, before reluctantly letting go and walking away.

Ashlynn raised a brow at a swatch of blue cloth with a bear printed on it (one of Blondie's token handkerchiefs) peeking up over the collar of Cupid's dress.

"Edward. Let. Go." Tiffany demanded trying to struggle out of Edward's six arms. Pico Paco (now colored a dark purple after taking a curious gulp of Maddie's Bleeding Rebel Heart tea) covered his tiny hands over the place where his mouth appeared when hungry, in worry. "Seriously? I thought that we've already established that I'm terrible at standing down from a fight or- as you have put it countless times- from my dominating nature! There is no way I'm going to sit idly by while I still can fight and do something to help!"

Edward clicked making Tiffany roll her eyes.

"When, in the time that you have actually known me, have I ever acted like a maiden aside from the times when I was trying to get something I wanted?" The blonde demanded wiggling and making her usual orange dress skirt sway violently.

Edward clicked again, taking longer to finish speaking his peace this time making the girl in his arms still.

"I'm glad that your mothers approve of me." She admitted after a pause. "And it makes me unbelievably happy that you feel that way about me… despite you being so much older and my story's villain I…" Tiffany shook her head. "But right now the people I love and look up to are being put into danger, Raven, Cerise, your mothers, our entire world… you, especially you, I- I could never look myself in the eye ever again if I turned tail and ran away when I should have been there at the front lines, making certain that I was doing everything I could to keep the ones I loved more than even myself safe!"

Tiffany bit her lip and looked up to the cheerful sky when Edward began to sniffle and buried his tearful face into her shoulder.

"I love you." The girl confessed, her voice thick. "You know that by now right? I love you and I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that you come out of this alive I-… I'll admit I'm scared, and this is by far the stupidest thing that I have ever pulled on you but whether I come back alive or not… I won't regret- _I will_ _never _regret protecting the ones I love. You an grow to hate me, yell at me, you can choose to never want to be anywhere near me ever again, whether I'm buried six feet under or standing six feet away… I will never regret doing my part to give my two heroes a chance to see another day, to fight, perhaps even die beside them with honor. To do my part to ensure that your mothers, the two women I love even more than my own parents, have a world that is still there for them to live in… that their son has a world to live in and that he may live to see it… even if I am not in your life any longer I can be at peace with the knowledge that you are somewhere out there finding your own happiness in a world without the Evil Queen. That is the only thing I want right now, and it is going to be what I'll fight to the death for!" The girl proclaimed loudly, not caring who overheard.

"I love you." Tiffany admitted again bowing her head; her breathing shaky and a tear escaped her eye to roll down her cheek unchecked. "I will fight for you. I will fight for our world, _be damn_ the _consequences_… so please, Edward Spider, let me fight for your future. _Let me go_."

Edward sobbed in broken clicks, slowly setting Tiffany back onto her feet, the boy reaching one of his arms up to turn the girls chin just enough for him to plant a tearful kiss laced with sorrow and worry onto the shorter girl's brow.

Then he let her go.

Tiffany wiped away that one rebellious tear and visibly composed herself as she walked away, Pico Paco loyally following after her, the girl being careful not to look at Edward who was now crying openly, his arms still reaching for the spot where Tiffany once was before Professor Jack B. Nimble gently guided the boy away to join those who were trekking off to the second base camp a farther, safer distance away.

Ashlynn hoped that Edward's Tiffany, like her own Hunter, would survive to come back to them, that they could live to see a world without the Evil Queen too.

"This is really happening. It's not just a nightmare that I can wake up from." Dexter whimpered quietly.

Sparrow hesitated for a moment, finally deciding to step out of formation to lay a hand onto the prince's shoulder.

"Think about it like this; how many times have Raven and Apple gotten us and themselves out of trouble?" Sparrow coughed shifting awkwardly.

"More times than I can count." Dexter muttered looking at the musician oddly.

"How good are Darling and Daring at being heroic and using their swords?" Sparrow continued, looking around as if afraid that he'd draw attention for being so… nice with the geek-boy. No one was looking, though Ashlynn, who had her back to them, did tilt her head to the side.

"The best in their class, they keep trying to get better so they're constantly one-upping the other every sparring match." Dexter admitted, though lately Darling had been giving Daring a good workout because she had asked some of the magic-users to help her train against magical attacks of all sorts of different varieties.

"How fast and scrappy can my hooded relative get when her friends are in danger?" Sparrow winced thinking about just how loud Little Red Riding Hood was going to rant and rave when this was all over. He didn't know what had caused her to let go of the customary soft-spoken maiden-like demeanor after her story had finished but she could scare the living daylights out of his dad when he used to try to scold her for not being a proper maiden. It was kind of funny to watch the woman cow his stern father sometimes.

"Enough to put all of the princes to shame." Dexter admitted, before pausing as realization dawned on him. "And enough to somehow charm the pants off of my brother for a while."

"She charmed a Charming?" Sparrow asked sounding a little impressed.

"Yeah." Dexter tilted his head to the side. "And she was immune to his own Charming powers, I wasn't paying much attention at the time but I do remember him going on for weeks about how she didn't seem effected by his smile. Although that little conversation she just had with Briar does explain a few things…"

"And Briar, and Cerise, and the rest of the maidens are not the type of people to be messed with." Sparrow pointed out to get back on track, though he did make a mental note to ask his cousin for some pointers on how to charm a Charming.

"One nearly tried to kill me once." Dexter admitted. "And then I was saved by my sister and your cousin."

"And what have we learned about witches in the past week?" Sparrow chanced to poke the boy playfully in the ribs, making a note to ask around for the specifics of _that _story later.

Dexter bit his lip. "Darling said that they don't like to give up, that Raven fighting destiny wasn't something just to be admired… it was kind of expected… because witches aren't as scared of the unknown as we are… that normally they work to try to bend their destiny to their will…" The prince gave Sparrow a confused glance.

"Look around, how many witches, maidens, and capable hero fighters do you see?" Sparrow instructed.

Dexter did as told.

"… Is it too early to be thinking that maybe the Evil Queen might have… bitten off more than she could chew?" Dexter mumbled tentatively. "I'm still scared but… I feel a little better now, never thought that being reminded just how crazy our school mates can be would ever make me feel at ease… thanks… Sparrow."

The musician looked away from Dexter's grateful eyes with a cough. "Yeah well we need you to keep it together, what with Blondie going with the medical group to try to reach the Grand Coven and all… we need you at your best… and stuff."

The dragons took off casing slithering silhouettes on the ground and people below, war cries and cheers of even more well wishing's filled the air.

For the first time in what felt like a long while Dexter smiled and it reached his eyes as he watched Sparrow begin to cheer and step back into formation looking for once like a hero standing tall and with his own sword securely fastened at the hip.

Ashlynn allowed a second to smile in amusement and roll her eyes before going back to work.


	23. The one where some hope comes back pt4

The one where some hope comes back pt.4

XXX

Apple winced growling lowly.

"Problem?" Briar asked, halting her pacing to lean against the table beside her friend who was currently facing the window looking out to the school. Apple sat lotus style just like Raven had taught her to do when concentrating closely on her inner magical core, she had perched herself on top of a table to see the campus grounds better, occasionally the two girls could see Elenore and the Evil Queen do battle as the two witches flew by.

"I need to get closer." Apple stated through clenched teeth. "I can't wait, I need to get myself over to Raven's side, and soon!

"I don't know if you've noticed this or not but we are on the brink of war." Briar pointed out dryly. "And to add onto that there's a psycho lady who will gleefully turn you into an extra crispy princess with a dash of extra smoldering heat just because overkill is that lady's style."

Apple waved off the other's dry concern with a roll of her eyes. "I'm aware of all that, you needn't worry about my cognitive abilities to that extent. But seriously when I say that I need to get to Raven's side it's _not entirely_ because I want to be near her more than anything right now. Something's weird with the curse inside of Raven I've helped get rid of most of it… the bad feeling magic from here but… how do I explain this- there is something from the outside that keeps trying to connect with her? There's this… part of Raven that seems to be… woven into the curse? ...Part of her feels_ like_ the curse-? Mainly the _bad feeling_ magic is going away but there isn't an absence of energy… But that doesn't make sense, if I am chasing the curse out then it should be going away right?"

"Actually it does make sense." Briar sighed. "Remember what Daring hexted us? How Raven's blood was used to create the curse? That's what makes this thing so dangerous and impossible to cure so far, the curse's real body is not in Wonderland or any of the other cursed worlds, the curse's physical form _is_ Raven's _physical body_."

"If the curse's true form is Raven's body then why can't she control it? Why is it hurting her so much?" Apple demanded heatedly.

Briar sighed, the situation and being stuck unable to do anything to help for the moment was definitely wearing on Apple's last nerve. "From what I can gather, it's because whatever spell was cast was made for Raven's body, not her mind or her spirit. It's the basic three principles to all biological curses of this nature or spells that are controlled from one or more individuals from a farther distance away; Raven's body is seen as the curse's land, it's home, but what is missing is the essential other two elements to keep the curse healthy enough not to rip Raven apart."

"Which is her mind and soul?" Apple guessed her mind racing.

Briar nodded. "Her mind, like the sea, replenishes the land in which the curse lives on and her spirit like the sky gives the curse a livable atmosphere to thrive in without those two things the curse would have remained in limbo until Raven's immune system could fight it off but now that the Evil Queen has awakened the curse… it's suffocating, the ancient evil is also trying to fight to survive inside Raven's body so it is trying to take Raven's spirit and mind out in reflex to her own immune system trying to make things as inhabitable as possible, it's trying to make more room for itself to survive in the body. To make matters worse if the Evil Queen is to be the one to control the curse then she would need to rip out Raven's heart, therefore ripping out her spirit _and_ mind and then replacing Raven's heart with her own, making Raven's body into a living golem so that she can fully control both the ancient evil _and_ Raven."

"If that's the case then… this transformation the psycho lady keeps mentioning, the evil foreign magic that Faybelle talked about, and turning Raven into a living golem that all makes sense except…." Apple trailed off thinking.

"Except what apple?" Briar asked blinking when white magic erupted around the princess.

Apple hummed thinking, letting something… a feeling take root in her mind and speak. Witch's instinct she believed Raven had called it. "There's… something not quite fitting, the Bleeding Rebel Hearts, sure it makes sense that Raven would develop an immunity of some sort but… why did it manifest so strongly into flowers created from love? If the curse is apart of Raven then why does being exposed to the plant…?" Apple's eyes widened her hands flying up to cover the area where here heart was.

"Unless the plant's aren't _destroying_ the curse but_ transforming_ it, purifying it, with… love. Instead of rejecting the curse all on it's own it's making it compatible with Raven's body."

"You lost me." Briar informed with a shake of her head.

"I can feel it Briar." Apple whispered staring at her hands. "Whenever I beat back the evil magic or when Raven touches those plants the _cursed_ part of her doesn't disappear, it changes. Instead of rejecting it, Raven's body is… accepting it, like… like the parts of the curse that are still influenced by the Evil Queen and this evil magic are making it _Rh positive _and Raven is _Rh negative_ but what is keeping Raven from rejecting the curse, therefore apart of herself, altogether is her built up immunity to the evil power and her mother's power."

"Still lost, and now someone's turned the lights off and left me in the dark." Briar said calmly still shaking her head.

"When my mother was pregnant with me she had to go through treatment because her immune system would have rejected and would have tried to attack me because my blood Rh was positive, like my father's was, meaning my mother's Rh negative blood would not have been able to see me as a fetus growing inside of her womb but as a threat growing in her body. It's the same feeling I get from Raven, only with the curse being a poisoned extension of her power!"

The princess stood up and hopped off the table. "Which is why I have to reach Raven now. If we are more powerful together then maybe the both of us can chase out the Evil Queen's influence and kill off the evil magic so that the cursed part of Raven can detoxify and stop acting like a threat to Raven's system."

Briar eyed Apple oddly as she too stood up. "So… you are sayin' that the curse is like a fetus."

"Yes." Apple nodded enthusiastically.

Briar bit her lip. "And Raven's… pregnant with it."

"Yes." Apple nodded again.

"And because the Evil Queen is, _obviously_, an ill suitable father all around Raven is rejecting… the baby curse." Briar spoke slowly looking a little nauseated.

"Yes." Apple continued to nod.

Briar pursed her lips. "But now that you are in the picture as the better, more compatible father… the curse is changing from a threat to… your and Raven's baby?"

"Well _other mother_ but my roll is still the same, yes." Apple shrugged.

Briar stared.

"That is the most messed up analogy I've ever heard." Faybelle muttered from Apple's pocket.

"And yet it makes sense." Giles's voice sounded contemplative.

"It does?" Cerise asked wearily.

"Yes, since magic never really disappears, it may dispel back into neutral magic or transition into something else, but it does not disappear, the biological nature of this curse would explain why it has been so difficult for those who tried to beat it. If Miss White's theory is correct then we've been going about fighting the curse all wrong. Perhaps if we can change the _nature_ of the curse we can eliminate the threat to Wonderland and save Miss Queen." Giles hummed in thought.

"Does this mean that Raven's going to give birth?" Tiffany asked making Raven give out a sharp, outraged squeak in reply.

"Don't worry Raven you aren't going to give birth." Apple assured walking out of the tower. "Most likely you'll just have a little more boost to your powers that's all. At any rate you need to fight off your mother's influence and I'll be there soon to help okay?"

Raven made frantic, worried sounds.

"I'll be _fine_." Apple assured. "The golems bow to _me too_ remember? With Elenore distracting the main threat, it'll be like running through a haunted mansion, only the spooks are all bowing at me instead of growling."

Raven's replying whine did not sound too convinced.

XXX

Magic clashed with wild abandon sizzling so hot that the normally chilly wind heated up to heat wave temperatures.

The evil Queen tried to pulverize her opponent, forming several large orbs of energy and throwing everything she had at her mother.

Elenore transported herself out of the way of the orbs as they came her way, the balls of energy exploding and causing much destruction wherever they went, leaving even the golems to scramble out of the way.

Elenore was more precise with her attacks, aiming small, but powerful bolts of energy to bounce off of the side of the quarantine shield where it was still intact forcing The Evil Queen to back off of her attacks in favor of ducking and flying out of the way as her mother gave chase, shooting off calculated bursts of magic to bounce off of the shield and directly at the Evil Queen herself.

The two chased one another around the school grounds taking shots whenever possible, the sounds of their battle, the glow of purple magic against a dark shadowy haze littered the air and the sounds explosions hitting the ground, overpowering the confused groans of the watching golems below them.

They ended up circling each other near the column of the tall tower of Ever After castle.

The Evil Queen panted heavily as she stared her mother, her smug, undead, ghostly mother who didn't even work up a sweat let alone look tired.

"You are more powerful than the last time. How?" The Evil Queen demanded. "You're dead, you are supposed to be having difficulty hanging on to this life!"

"My aren't you out of breath." Elenore observed. "I guess being dead, thus unable to _draw_ breath, means that I don't have to worry about overexerting my muscles and lungs. That and I have your father's love to keep me going." Elenore smiled dreamily making the Evil Queen gag.

"Then again…" The elder woman lifted up a glowing hand to analyze. "Maybe my form has been given an extra advantage over your powers after being soaked in the same potion that destroyed all of your golems inside the school." Elenore leveled her gaze in a taunting manor.

"What?" The Evil Queen reached into herself to sense that there were indeed no golems inside the school's castle giving her feedback.

"That was almost a hundred golems!" The Evil Queen screeched in outrage.

"Was it?" Elenore blinked innocently.

"How could you?" The Evil Queen seethed.

Elenore rolled her eyes. "Well I wouldn't be surprised at all if I were you, did you honestly believe that no one would fight back when trapped into a corner?"

"They didn't in that village!" The Evil Queen countered defiantly.

"And yet despite the efforts of those idiot village elders there were survivors, the ones who fought back against you." Elenore pointed out.

"I held my ground in Wonderland!" The Evil Queen sniffed offended.

"No, you surprise attacked them from where they weren't expecting and got insanely lucky that they hadn't been prepared for the sheer number of golems you sent their way. They won't make the same mistake again." The elder witch assured.

The Evil Queen growled lighting up her own hands and charging towards her mother.

Elenore shielded herself muttering an incantation that let forth a blinding light from her fingertips.

The Evil Queen howled in pain, her momentary distraction allowing Elenore to overtake her and bodily hurtle the both of them against the side of the quarantine shield.

The Evil Queen let out a pained gasp as all of the air was pushed out of her on impact, blindly gathered her magic to push back at her mother throwing the other woman off of her.

"Why are you suddenly downgrading my achievements?" The Evil Queen coughed holding her hands over her smarting eyes. "Aren't mothers supposed to support their children in their life choices?"

"Not when they are harming others as well as themselves!" Elenore scolded sternly. "And considering your gross mistreatment of your own daughter added onto the fact that you are certainly not letting her make her own life choices, you have no room to complain young lady!"

"Spawn's not an heir born to surpass me!" The Evil Queen spat, blinking past the spots swimming in her vision and pushing off to run at her mother again, this time forming a shield and concentrated as hard as she could to lace it with electricity. Not even a ghost laced with some form of super potion could do well against lightning based powers.

Elenore's hazy form vanished before the Evil Queen even had a chance to reach her.

"You'll drain your own body's electric reserves if you keep that up." Elenore pointed out from the right.

The Evil Queen shot anyway towards the other's voice, like the last time Elenore's form vanished as if it were a cloud of vapor.

The Evil Queen squinted at the now empty spot. "Dead and yet you still can astral project clones? Aren't you being a bit excessive showing off like this mom?" The woman griped.

"A child you bare is more than just someone that is bred to surpass you in title." Elenore chided from behind. "Little Raven is a lovely young witch that should be treated with love and treated like the honored daughter she is, not some tool like one of your golems."

The Evil Queen scowled. "The spawn is more than just a mere child, she is my champion! The greatest weapon the worlds will ever see!"

"Is that all you see of her? A tool for you to dress up and play with in your little fantasy?" Elenore spat in disgust. "She's not a golem Clawstorm she is a _girl_, a young witch who has ideas and dreams all of her own! You can't force her to adore you, if you want her trust then you in any sense of the word then you should have treated her like a loved one, not an object!"

"The spawn is mine! Don't you dare lecture me about how I treat my creation, she was born to be my champion, someone I can rely on to never fail me in my quest! She is more than just some brat to groom, she will never take my place, and she will love me because I am the one who created her! She is the champion to the Evil Queen and my- our new empire!" The Evil queen yelled furious.

"That has always been the greatest issue with you." Elenore sighed. "Clawstorm if you took a second to look at reality you would see that just because you have inherited the title given to your insane ancestor, it does not actually make you the Evil Queen. It's just a title adorned for the ceremony of fairytales; I know that the humans and your father take the whole affair very seriously but for us, the Queen clan, it's to honor in the next queen to our land of Ever After. Our founding ancestor may have been almost as screwy in the head as you are now, but every single Evil Queen born since then has in some form or another cared about the princesses born to become the next Snow White, despite our roll in her story we are tasked to look after that princess, our special princess, some care for their princess more than others, but until you came along the role of the Evil Queen had been seen as a title of honor, as a guardian to the future heiress to the land of Ever After."

The Evil Queen rolled her eyes. "I've heard this old speech thousands of times mother, what's your point?"

"My point is that a child's love is not always as unconditional as you want it to be, and in little Raven's case you have done nothing to make her care enough about you for her to become your slave so willingly. I don't know what went wrong with what little reason you had before you sought out the old evil power but ever since you set out to conceive Raven you have done nothing but give her cause to hate you." Elenore gave her daughter a look so cold that would've made a penguin shiver, the Evil Queen actually did shiver.

"You dishonored her matriarchal clan name making people fear her even as a tiny infant, forced her paternal clan to hide their relation to her in order to protect her and themselves, kidnapped her, tortured her, terrorized her, used her as a tool in a dangerous experiment that could have killed her, poisoning her with little regard for her unnecessary pain in the face of your schemes, tried to turn her into a weapon by ripping out her soul so that you could use her body as a living golem, and you tried to harm the one she loves, _her_ princess who is also her _True Love_! I'm sure that you've done much more in the time I was out of commission seeing as you like to keep busy and I bet none of that won you any favors with her either." Elenore listed out her voice calm but chilly in a way that set the other's nerves on edge.

The Evil Queen ground her teeth together. "You are wrong!" she hollered. "Spawn does love me, she has always loved me, only someone as perfect as her is allowed to be so close to me! She'll be even better company than Simone will be even!"

"I said nothing about Little Red Riding Hood." Elenore gave her daughter an exasperated look. "Dear gods Clawstorm please don't tell me that you are planning on dragging your sweet former roommate into your insanity too."

The Evil Queen almost seemed to blush. "Simone may be a bossy busybody but she's always been… useful to me… up until her fairytale she had always been the only one of my classmates who made sense. She didn't… confuse me by saying I was not acting my part and then running away when I did. Even though she was not a golem she used to always make sense, I'm certain that once I prove myself to be the most powerful entity of all time she'll get over whatever maiden issues she currently has and join me, her own spawn is quite fascinating genetics wise, and at first glance Simone's spawn has retained much of her mother's personality. They both will be very useful to me."

Elenore grimaced her brow twitching. "Did any of my teachings over the years about how you must always be aware of and consider your friend's feelings just fly out of your brain child? There's just as many things wrong with that statement as there is with your plans for Raven!"

"Evil Queens have allies, not friends!" The Evil Queen sniffed. "Something that I've always been better than you at understanding!"

"Oy vey child of mine." Elenore breathed slumping her shoulders in exasperation. "That is just the attitude I'm talking about! Clawstorm, in your quest to become the perfect Evil Queen you have alienated you friend, your _only_ ally, and made your daughter want nothing to do with you! I beg of you with the last traces of hope I have for you as your mother to cease this madness before you get yourself killed or worse; captured by one of the worlds that you have terrorized!" The elder witch pled even though she knew that there was no hope to save her daughter from herself.

"Simone would never abandon me after I prove myself!" The Evil Queen declared hands on hips. "And spawn is spawn, not an heir or a daughter, she's born to be my greatest ally and weapon, there is just nothing else to it. She knows that I'm doing all of this for myself- I mean _us_, I'm doing this because I want myself to- I want _us_ to win."

"You say all of that and yet you keep adding Raven in as an afterthought." Elenore observed looking to the side and down, crossing her arms as she observed something curiously. "I get the very distinct feeling that what she dislikes the most is being thought of by you as an afterthought. In fact I'm quite positive that kind of talk is making her quite livid with you."

The Evil Queen rolled her eyes. "Don't be talking nonsense you old crone, spawn loves me, and together I will become a god."

"Don't you mean that you _and Raven_ will become _gods,_ plural?" Elenore raised a brow.

The Evil Queen hesitates, before doing her best to sneer as she scoffs awkwardly. "That's what I just said, don't be putting words into my mouth! I will become a god- I mean… _myself and spawn_ will… of course I will- I mean we, _we_ will! Become a god- _gods_… she'll know what I mean! I'm her creator and a future god after all!" The woman snapped.

Elenore watched Raven who was watching them from far down below, her little face, pale and bruised still stained with the remains of the poison (which seemed to be, _thankfully_, retreating from her veins even as Elenore watched) was completely thunderous with rage.

"Oh yes Clawstorm I think that Raven knows _exactly_ what you mean; and _that_ is the reason why she'll _never_ bow down to your will." Elenore observed as Raven stood up, gritting her teeth as movement aggravated her wounds.

"What? You are making no sense mom. Perhaps death has made you senile." The Evil Queen shot at her mother.

"And perhaps your narcissism has finally gotten you into more trouble than you can handle." Elenore tilted her head to the side as Raven's form erupted into a bright white glow of magic.


	24. The one with the miracle pt1

Author's note (skip or not to skip that is the question):

Ok so there is an issue with fanfiction right now and I still can't post those super long chapters.

So I will be posting shorter chapters and hopefully I can finally finish this thing sometime soon before my real life gets too busy for me to write stuff for a while.

And thank you for the reviews they are helping me get to the end of this story and I hope you enjoy this section of a chapter that I had to cut up in order to post.

I miss being able to post long chapters "sighs".

Oh well on with the reading!

XXX

The one with the miracle pt.1

XXX

Raven was furious.

All of this trouble, _years_ she spent being alone and ostracized, terrorized, physically harmed,_ everything_ she had to _live with_ for so long all because the Evil Queen wanted to play the mighty conqueror without even giving Raven's _life_ and _wellbeing_ a spare thought! It had always just been about the Evil Queen, Raven wasn't born from love or kindness, no! She had been bred to be a _tool_! Nothing more in the mind of the Evil Queen other than an _afterthought_!

"You computer geeks had better have something ready soon, psycho is right on top of us!" Faybelle hissed into Raven's phone, the sound of frantic typing could be heard on the other side.

The youngest witch hugged herself, blinking when she felt the forgotten bottle that her grandmother had stuffed down her shirt. She took it out and clutched it in both hands.

To the right and down Raven spotted a mirrordisk used to pick up signals from the mirrornet towers.

Adrenaline pumping Raven stood up and stepped forward, ignoring Faybelle's warning hiss, letting the words she was hearing fuel the fire of her anger.

Raven faced the unsuspecting woman that had tormented her since the day she was born.

It was time to stop running from the Evil Queen. This time around Raven was going to stop being so scared she couldn't move, she was sick of being constantly trapped under the shadow of dishonor and fear that the Evil Queen had left her to deal with.

Raven was going to show this disgraceful excuse for a proper witch what she _really_ thought of her, then she was going to find Apple and end this so that she could start _living her life_, actually living a full life for the very first time! The Evil Queen was on her way out and a new future with Apple by her side was in!

She was going to run away with her princess and live happily ever after.

Raven erupted in white magic, drawing power from Apple, who's heart had warmed with a blinding love in response to the feelings coming from Raven's thoughts and from deep within herself where her power lay uncorrupted.

The Evil Queen startled turning around. "Spawn!" The woman cried out in surprise. "Don't use that magic! It's been tainted by that princess-wench's vial influence and it'll hurt the evil power! My plans need that power to survive for my victory! Here let me help you get back to where you are supposed to be in your transformation." The Evil Queen reached for Raven with here hair tendrils, in the background Raven could hear Faybelle cursing at people on the phone and panicked replies of; "In twenty seconds! We need twenty seconds!" Coming back to her. Elenore mumbled to herself, forming, no doubt, a powerful spell to unleash while the Evil Queen was distracted.

Raven let the power in her hands increase, breaking the bottle and covering her hands in purple liquid.

With a sweep of her arm Raven hit the reaching tendrils and burned them away, all the way up to the Evil Queen's face.

The Evil Queen yelped, cutting away her burning hair before it could reach her scalp. She looked at Raven with shocked eyes.

"Spawn? Why would you do that?" The woman sounded very tiny all of a sudden.

"R-…Ra…-ven." Raven sounded out, concentrating as hard as she could. "Ra-ven, Rav-en, Raven! I… am Raven! I am Raven! Not spawn!" The young witch yelled, gathering up her power.

The Evil Queen was too stunned to move out of the way when Raven suddenly sent a tendril of white magic to wrap around her foot and bodily throw her painfully at a mirrored disk-thing attached to the side of the castle wall.

"Now! Now! Now!" Faybelle yelled into the phone getting up to run to Raven's side.

There was a noise that sounded like two high-pitched war cries coming from Raven's phone before a bright stream of magic coming from the mirrordisk hit the surprised Evil Queen in the side, making the woman shriek in pain, then another disk sent out a stream of power that hit the woman, then another, and another, and another, until those residing on the roof had to shield their eyes from the bright light. The Evil Queen's and the golem's screams bounced off of the stone walls of the castle before going silent. The light disappeared and a limp, slightly smoking body fell from the sky.

Cheers sounded from Raven's phone.

"Nice work." Elenore praised landing beside Raven and placing her hands on the young witch's shoulders to keep the shaking girl upright. The younger witch seemed to be equal parts tired and feeling the effects of being subjected to one too many adrenaline rushes for one afternoon. "But fair warning; that may have _weakened_ my daughter but it would _not_ have put her _completely_ out of commission." The elder witch warned. "So if you are planning on doing something you better do it _now_."

"Way ahead of you lady." Hunter's voice assured from the phone in Faybelle's hands.

"There!" Raven cried pointing to the familiar slither of dragons flying through the widening holes of the quarantine bubble.

"You didn't think that we'd just leave you behind now did you?" Hunter teased making Raven laugh.

"Right wing! Start firing long-range weapons. Left wing! Send out your land troops to help out the people trapped on the ground!" They could hear the boy order through the phone.

The dragons separated, one group flying towards the mass of golems waiting, at the base of the widening geyser leading to Wonderland, where the group on the roof could see people throwing things out of side bags and modified purses down upon the unsuspecting golem horde, the resulting death cries from the creatures mixing in with the whoops and jeers from those flying above.

Raven jumped in surprise when something tapped her shoulder, her eyes widening when she saw that it had been the Book of Legends.

"Q-quit that!" Raven scolded it as it continued to nudge her.

"It senses the return of the old evil." Elenore explained. "As the nearest steward with Grimm blood it is looking to you for help."

Raven gently grabbed the book out of the air and looked at its cover, biting her lip. "But how can I help? I'm injured, and even if I was in top condition my powers were never anywhere near as powerful as yours, hex, up until three month ago I could barely use my magic properly!" The girl's words came out hoarse and a little slurred highlighting the fact that not more than a few minutes ago she had been cursed to keep silent.

Elenore chuckled warmly earning her confused looks from the teen girls. "Yes, I suppose that all that time with the curse inside of you would have stunted your natural development, but you have two something's that are just as powerful as my magic skill and things that your mother doesn't stand a chance against."

"What's that?" Raven asked sounding so completely confused and looking up at her with such an adorably cute face that Elenore couldn't help but smile.

"Friends who are willing to pull off something so crazily dangerous that no doubt my daughter doesn't even know what to do with herself now that she's faced with so many people willing to stand up to her." Elenore pointed out wryly. "That, and you've got little Apple seed holding your heart next to hers so lovingly, if she's anything like the little girl I looked after once upon a time then she will stop at nothing to protect the one she loves the most."

As if in response to Elenore's words they heard an inhuman wail that held it's sound for several long seconds, it oddly resembled Apple's voice just a little in the undertones, birds flew out of their hiding places to form an angry halo of feathers before spiraling down to attack someone viciously on the ground if the resulting pained screams were anything to go by.

XXX

Apple and Briar unshielded their eyes when they heard a loud thump and a pained moan occur somewhere close by to them.

Apple stared curiously at the prone form of the Evil Queen, head tilting to the side and ignoring Briar's panicked screams and attempts to drag her away while she watched almost fascinated as the woman moved painfully slow, trying to sit up and turning her head side to side to get a read on her surroundings.

The Evil Queen spied Apple and scowled.

Apple stared back, a wicked grin slowly spreading across her face.

The Evil Queen's face scrunched in confusion.

Briar's pleas for Apple to move were left ignored.

Apple inhaled deeply before letting loose the loudest call she had ever made for the aid of any birds that were within the general area to head her plea; the loud, inhuman roaring wail causing both Briar and the Evil Queen to cover their ears and wince in pain.

The Evil Queen opened her eyes once the princess ceased to produce such horrendous sounds to then notice fast-distorted shadows circling her on the ground; somewhere above her she could hear a racket of angry bird-like sounds. _Lots_ of angry bird-like sounds.

She looked back up to the princess; Apple looked far too smug, going as far as to present the older woman a cheerful salute with her middle finger before taking her companion's hand and patting it soothingly.

Briar, who was staring up at the sky in horror, needed no more prompting after Apple's initial touch, the mage-princess griping Apple's wrist and leading the two of them in a dead run out of there.

With a sinking feeling the Evil Queen looked up and immediately cursed viciously as a column of birds descended upon her.

XXX

"Apple!" Raven called looking down over the edge of the building.

"Goody-two-shoes _Apple_ did that?" Faybelle gaped at the sight below them, of the fearsome Evil Queen screaming and trying to shield her eyes from getting pecked out as claws and beaks tore at her flesh.

Elenore winced. "Oh Clawstorm…" The woman sighed looking away. Evil or no it was painful to see the witchling she had birthed like this (even though her daughter _was _getting what was coming to her).

"I…" Raven hesitated as she looked up at her grandmother. "All the words in my head meant to offer some form of consolation… just sound too horrendously cruel right now. I'm sorry there seem to be no heroic words coming to mind to make this any less sucky." She coughed slightly from the soreness still lingering in her throat.

"You tried at least." Elenore gave a small smile and lightly pinched Raven's cheek, much in the same way the Headmaster had done earlier. "And all of this is certainly not easy for you either you know, so don't fret so much about consoling me while you are still trembling like a leaf. Save all of that for when you visit my grave, I imagine that it'll be all properly melodramatic with flowers and clichéd speeches, and everything of that sort. Just promise to bring some sweets and a book along, I always found the White family mausoleum a rather pretty place to quietly read and have a snack. Also you must promise not to let your grandfather mope about too much, he has a habit of thinking too much on the "what if's" of life and if left to his own devises he'll become _impossible_ to deal with, so remind him of the _good_ things ok? I find that staring at him like a cat until he can't take it anymore works every time."

Raven and Faybelle snickered at the mental image.

"I'll do my best." Raven promised, before growing quiet and watching Apple's familiar blonde hair weave her way through the hordes of bowing golems, their friends slaying the creatures as they run behind the princess.

"This… whole situation, I am scared, I do not know what to do next." Raven confessed quietly hugging the Book of Legends to her for comfort.

Elenore grabbed her by the shoulders the two of them being roughly the same height meant that they were now staring at one another in the eye.

"It's okay to be afraid just as long as you don't lose sight of your goal you will be fine. Keep the Book close, it appears to be free of my daughter's influence so it will protect you, don't be afraid of using your teeth, nails, and spit if necessary, and reach little Apple seed as soon as possible, don't hold back from kissing her with everything you've got either, I don't know if it'll do anything but True Love's a pretty powerful force and surely it'll do something to that curse. And if not then at the very least it'll distract my daughter long enough for her head to be chopped off… a terrible thing for me to say I know but we've run out of options with that girl. And I'll be raising all sorts of underworlds and hells if she actually wins this battle, or hurts either you or Apple, so for the sake of the world, my long awaited peaceful eternal rest, and your grandfather's sanity this has to work!"

Raven nodded with as much bravery as she could muster. "I need to get down there somehow. Maybe I can meet Apple halfway?" Raven shifted on her feet experimentally only to wince and let out a pained whine as she tried to turn towards the exit a little too fast. Faybelle reached out to catch her before she fell over.

"You can't actually be serious about going out there right now!" The fairy nearly sounded like she was pleading.

Raven gave Faybelle a sincere look.

"Dear gods you are serious." Faybelle turned to Cedar who now had her own phone out and was giving base camp a bird's eye view of the battlefield. "She's serious, your friend has lost her mind!" The fairy tattled only to stare at the wooden girl worriedly when she didn't so much as twitch.

"She's not the only one." Cupid's voice drew everyone's attention as she flew down to them; with her back to the sun and wings spread wide she looked very imposing, like an avenging angel.

"I'll protect her until and after she meets up with Apple again." Cupid promised hovering in front of Raven.

"I guess this is it then." Elenore murmured, Raven noticed that there was a strange tint of finality in her voice.

"You better grab the sword before you go. It's been purified and every available weapon you can get your hands on will be useful." The elder witch instructed Cupid. "In light of my granddaughter's injuries I'll teleport you both to the ground as close as I can get you to Apple."

"Yes my lady." Cupid nodded moving onto the roof to collect the strange sword, which lay forgotten some feet away.

Raven blinked rapidly as her grandmother grabbed onto her shoulders, turning her around gently, before a pair of lips descended onto her forehead.

"Be careful out there you hear me? I don't want to see you in the afterlife so soon, I'd prefer it if several centuries pass before that happens, and I want at least one witchling out of our three generations to live happily with the one they love, don't make the same mistake I did and let someone else take away a chance at having a loving partner by your side." Elenore murmured into her granddaughter's hair.

"As if Apple will let me." Raven laughed frailly. "Besides, I'm a witch, I'll take great offence if I blow out under any situation that I did not choose myself, and I plan on living a very long time with Apple beside me for years and years to come.

"That's my girl." Elenore praised with a wide, proud grin, resting her forehead upon Raven's. "Oh and if I do blow out before I get the chance; I love you, I'm proud of you, my spirit wishes you nothing but happiness, and if this reincarnation stuff turns out to suit my tastes you may see some version of me again someday sooner than expected… there is more I want to say, much more but… your friend is waiting and we don't have the time." The elder witch's bottom lip wavered but there were no tears for the dead woman to shed. "A part of me will always be there, looking out for you, I know that line has been said way too many times but I will make sure when I get to the other side that it will be so. Blessed be child of my kin."

"Merry meet merry part. Blessed be beloved grandmother." Raven sniffled back, tears falling down her face.

Elenore stepped back and Raven felt protective downy wings encircle her.

"Go get your princess kid." Elenore smiled wickedly as the younger witch and deity were encircled in purple magic.

XXX

"Here they come! Take your positions!" Ashlynn ordered with a sharp bark, masking her fear as golems raced down the road and leaped out of the trees. "Are you finished putting down that barrier yet? She asked the people by the cooking station, her heart was stabbed with a twinge of concentrated fear at seeing a large gap where the ground was not stained with a thick purple line of Purple Rebel Heart serum.

"Working on it!" One of the fairies called as in a joint effort both witches and fairies held the hot liquid in the air while others steadily magicked the serum onto the ground, chanting spells as they did.

Three golems made a b-line for the untouched gap, one glass-sharded paw almost reaching a fairy's wing but then Sparrow's sword moved to slice the creature's hand off.

The boy was the fastest one to jump out of the small gap, and because the opening was growing too small he was the only one that had been able to get past without disrupting the magic-users from their task.

Ashlynn's eyes widened when she spotted red blood on Sparrow's face amidst the boy dueling with golem after golem. "Sparrow, get back here!" She yelled trying to run over but people were holding her back, pleading her not to put herself in danger too.

One of the witches stood back from her group to grab the, still fighting, boy with her magic and yank him back in just as the boundary line had been completed and golem after golem smashed themselves against the side of the protective circle they had drawn.

Sparrow groaned rubbing his sore rear and clutching the side of his head where his ear hurt like nobody's business, sitting in the spot he had landed in a little dazed.

Ashlynn marched over to thump the boy soundly on the head.

Sparrow hissed clutching his head "Ow! What was that for? I-"

"I know you saved us. You did a heroic thing and I'm proud of you." The princess interrupted sounding vexed.

"Then why did you hit me?" The boy asked her incredulous.

"For making me worry to the point where I needed to hit _someone_ in order to go back to thinking clearly!" Ashlynn spat marching away to make sure that everyone was all right.

"Seems legit…" Sparrow muttered to himself still holding his head. "Glad I could help out!" He called only half-sarcastic to the girl's back.

He turned when someone kneeled down beside him.

"Your cheek is bleeding, so is your ear… the whole side of your head looks like a red enchanted falls." Dexter explained worriedly holding one of the spare medical kits that Healer Phalange left behind for them. "Humphrey can yell if he needs my help."

"Well I guess if it'll make you feel better… just be careful of the ear, it really… it stings a bit." Sparrow blushed a little and looked away from the other boy's worried gaze, this was closer then he had ever dared get to Daring's cute little brother.

If the situation were different Sparrow would have tried to talk himself out of the offered help, it wasn't that he hated the adorable geek or anything, his feelings for Dexter were completely on the opposite side of the spectrum actually, and _that_ was the problem.

Daring, despite his ego and narcissism, loved his siblings fiercely. _No one_ messed with his baby brother or sister without being met with their older sibling's wrath. It was scary how someone so Charming could turn downright vicious at the drop of a hat.

Dexter may be Sparrow's ideal type but the musician took great pains not to get too close. Sparrow knew that Daring liked to hang out with him every once in a while but Sparrow's personality as a whole would bring about the prince's undivided protective interest if Sparrow so much as tried to start a civil conversation with Dexter.

It would be bad enough if Daring had just assumed that Sparrow was trying to get something totally platonic from Dexter but if the older boy ever found out Sparrow's… preferences for cute geeky boys…

Sparrow had no interest in becoming a dead man walking.

Besides that Dexter had this huge crush on Raven and even though that had zero to negative numbers chances of happening (Sparrow could see that the witch had no interest in boys from miles away it wasn't that hard to see), still Sparrow had no interest in trying with someone who had it bad for the opposite gender, not even under the guise of being an experiment, _especially_ if Dexter turned out to be the kind of guy Sparrow would fall hard for. He was not willing to take that chance, being heartbroken was not cool and it would mess with his reputation if word ever got out (that is if Daring didn't kill him first).

"It only stings _a bit_?" Dexter asked disbelieving once he pried the other's hand away from his head. The prince hissed through his teeth at the sight of the other's ear- well what was left of it.

The prince's tone broke Sparrow out of his turbulent thoughts. Well the tone and the fact that sounds were coming to that side of his head oddly. "Alright, it hurts a lot." Sparrow admitted his breath quickening. "Why does sound- why can't I hear right in that ear?" The redheaded musician asked taking deep breaths and bracing himself for the worst. "It's gone, isn't it." He swallowed thickly.

"Not all of it!" Dexter was quick to assure as he took out some antiseptic covered gauze and tried to stem the bleeding.

"Sorry." The prince apologized when Sparrow hissed in pain. "Just the top's gone I'm sure that when it heals you could pull it off! Y-you know, add it to your pretty bad boy image and girls will still fall in masses for you!" Dexter tried to assure.

"The lady's aren't the ones that I want that kind of attention from." Sparrow grumbled because he was trapped in a bubble, surrounded by angry golems (who were turning into a rather large accumulating pile of disassemble junk, Sparrow wondered if they would get buried by the things pretty soon), and his ear (or part of it) had been cut off, at the at the very least he had no interest in keeping up appearances and if he was going to die here then he wanted to die completely true to himself and maybe it would get the prince to stop calling him _pretty_ because at that moment Sparrow had the overwhelming urge to kiss the geek-boy for making him feel a little better in the middle of a crap-tastic situation.

"W-well I-I'm sure that lots of guys will find you roguishly handsome too." Dexter blushed as he stuttered out his words.

Sparrow winced again as the cut on his cheek was cleaned and tended to. "Thanks." He managed to get out while remaining as still as he could. "That means a lot right now." He finished when Dexter moved away to grab a bandage roll.

"They've gotten really good at growing things like replacement ears and toes in the medical community so if you ever decide you want your full ear back I'm sure that some surgery can fix it." Dexter couldn't look the other in the eye as he wrapped Sparrow's head up, he'd never been all that good at passing the comforting damsels tests in class so he didn't really know if he was helping or hurting and he didn't want to see the annoyance from the other boy.

Sparrow felt something inside of him soften immensely. "I'm glad you're so smart." Sparrow smiled as wide as he could with his cheek smarting even worse now.

The prince turned his wide-eyed gaze to the other but before he could speak panicked voices rose through the mass of mirrorphones and Humphrey's panicked voice called out.

"Dexter! I need you to help me prepare another round of hexes! The Evil Queen has ripped open the portal to Wonderland!"


	25. The one with the miracle pt2

The one with the miracle pt.2

XXX

"Sooo, you're the Evil Queen's mom… and Raven's grandmother." Faybelle coughed awkwardly. "Quite the family reunion you've got going on, very… eventful. You know in my family the young adults just break out the alcohol and stare at the little ones while the older folk sing drinking songs and wobble around in drunken dances all night long."

Elenore smirked. "I'll keep that in mind for next time, sounds much more festive, although you have to admit that the battles to the death and the attempts at world conquering are very exciting."

Faybelle snorted. "Exciting is an understatement lady, at least I've been able to regain some of my family's honor by fool-heartedly putting myself in the middle of all this." The fairy muttered a little sullenly.

"Yes, my apologies to your mother, when I knew her she was a fantastic Evil Fairy, even after my daughter butted in where she did not belong, your mother dealt with the rude breach of conduct with a fierceness that I admired. She is still a force to be reckoned with I do hope?" Elenore peeked at the girl out of the corner of her eye.

"You bet your pointy hat she is." Faybelle puffed her chest in pride. "We of the Thorn clan are awesome at making people wish that they never messed with us. Even your granddaughter was so impressed by my wickedness that she chose _me_ to take up the role of Evil Queen when she refused to adhere to her destiny." Faybelle boasted, half-heartedly trying to provoke the ghost, out of family pride.

"My granddaughter refused her destiny?" Elenore asked curious.

"Yep, refused to sign anything on Legacy Day, proclaimed that she wasn't going to poison anybody, and that she was going to be a goody-two-shoes for the rest of her life, started her own little following called the Rebels, turned the entire school on it's head she did! Of course at the time nobody knew that she was Apple's _true_, True Love, but still!" Faybelle told the woman, wondering what her reaction would be.

The fairy jumped when the witch started laughing.

"Indeed? My, it seems like my granddaughter has quite the mind of her own, oh dear I'm surprised my darling Milton isn't completely bald by now with the trouble that little stunt must have caused!" Elenore cackled; if she weren't dead she would have been crying tears of mirth.

"I would have thought that you'd be scandalized." Faybelle admitted a little stunned. "I mean Raven went against your family heritage."

"Oh dear child of the Thorn clan you have forgotten; I used to_ be_ the Evil Queen, and none of my former wickedness has ever left me, even since the day my daughter took up the torch." Elenore gave Faybelle a wide, wicked grin. "How can I not be proud of my granddaughter for following her heart? And look where it's gotten her!" The witch gestured to the people out in the battlefield, the same people fighting for Raven, fighting _with_ Raven.

"Yeah, I guess I can see your point." Faybelle admitted with a rare tone of being impressed lurking in her voice.

Elenore turned to regard Cedar curiously.

"You know something seems odd about your friend… granted I'm under the assumption that she's not acting normally." The witch murmured gently tapping the side of Cedar's head.

"She is usually much more lively." Faybelle admitted, keeping a worried eye out on the ground below them. Raven was looking around trying to find Apple, and Apple was trying to maneuver around a bunch of bowing golems in her way. "As far as I can tell she's been acting strange ever since the Evil Queen broke free."

Elenore added a bit of magic to her finger and gently prodded the center of the wooden girl's forehead.

The moment the digit touched the girl a bright glow erupted at the contact point, causing Elenore's finger to waiver and wiggle as if it were under water.

"Your friend is currently being possessed by… ghosts. Several of them." Elenore determined with a few surprised blinks.

Faybelle turned her head sharply. "What?" The fairy asked sounding incredulous.

"No-t-t-t-t-t allll of… usss c-an hold-d-d f-f-formmmm for sssssoooo lo-lo-long." Cedar hissed, sounding almost jealous.

"Well if this isn't one of the more awkward and… perhaps ironic situations I have ever been in." Elenore grumbled ignoring the fact that Faybelle was beginning to freak out behind her (fairies as a rule of survival were more cautious around spirits that they did not know, or have an affinity over, mostly because one wrong touch could leave the spiritually sensitive with a disabling headache or worse). "Just please return the girl back into control once this battle is over and done with." The witch ordered in a no-nonsense sort of way.

Before the ghosts inside of Cedar could open her mouth to speak a loud high pitched whine caused Faybelle and Elenore to jump in surprise.

"What the hell is that?" Faybelle yelled over the noise, her eyes wide as she stared at the giant ball of tainted vile magic forming in the air. The fairy couldn't repress the shiver that ran through her body as the taste of death and despair invaded her senses.

"My daughter's gotten desperate enough to try a tactic that could end up killing her." Elenore informed sounding panicked.

"And why are you saying that like it's a bad thing?" Faybelle asked; worry lurked under her dry tone.

"Because if it goes wrong then she will take out the whole campus with her." Elenore told the teen, horror lacing every word.

A loud boom filled the air, as the portal to Wonderland was ripped wide open, Faybelle hit the ground for cover as the ground shook slightly from the sheer force of the spell.

The elder witch turned to Faybelle. "Quick, warn your friends' to steer clear, all nonessential people must be evacuated and all efforts must be redirected to getting Apple and my granddaughter together, and see if you can get somebody to get you and your friend off of this roof! And be careful! My daughter is especially unpredictable when backed into a corner!"

With that said Elenore leaped off of the roof, leaving Faybelle to mutter a prayer of good luck towards the woman that had oddly charmed her a little in their brief acquaintance before the fairy took out Raven's phone and began nagging at the computer geeks to get moving.

XXX

The Evil Queen curled up inside the shield she had instinctually constructed, the blasted birds the wench had summoned pecked incessantly at it, trying to get to her. The _vicious_ little pests of beasts.

The day of her renewed freedom was not turning out the same way she had thought it would.

Her mother was still around to get in the way of her becoming the perfect Evil Queen; her father had seemed to know about her paternity all along and yet it was only now, when she was posing a danger to his world that he took any real interest to her, instead of usual tactic of ignoring her and shoving her at her uncle so that he could deal with her instead; Simone had a child with the Big Bad Wolf; the fake Book of Legends that she had created had been discovered and then destroyed some time ago so she could not use the power of the student body's birth names against them; the current student body was fighting back, and doing a disturbingly good job destroying her army; there was some sort of super potion or spell that everyone seemed to possess that fought back against her so effectively that it could even burn her very skin if she so much as touched it…

The spawn… hated her.

And worse of all her mother had been _right_ about something. She- the Evil Queen was having difficulty grasping it but somewhere in her mother's words… there had been something that sounded familiar, something in her instincts were telling her that her mother was right and that she should pay attention. Normally her first instinct would be to destroy everything that stood in her way but the way spawn looked at her… looked at her the same way that she- that Clawstorm had once looked at her princess, the other maidens, her father… Clawstorm had been nothing but a tool for those people to use, Simone had even said it once, that those who didn't fit the mold of the perfect storybook character were seen as odd puzzle pieces from a different box, ones that had to be forced into place with a hammer, the big picture wasn't right but as long as the piece could be forced to fit who cared?

But Clawstorm had been weak, had been homesick constantly and missed her mother all throughout the years spent in the dorm; Clawstorm had wanted friends but all of the most loved maidens of the school save for Simone said that Evil Queens could not have friends, that she was going to disappear if she tried being nice to them, so when Clawstorm did something that her ancestor would supposedly have done the maidens screamed and called her a monster as they ran through the halls, soon after the first few days of this even the other villains were too scared to come near her, and anybody other than Simone who _did _try to get close to her… stuff would happen to them. Clawstorm hadn't done anything, never even lifted a finger and yet there would be something like a water pale falling on her and her new friend's head or a tack winding up on a chair and when all was said and done that person would often give her the same speech about how sorry they were, how they knew it wasn't her fault but they weren't brave enough to continue their friendship, and then… they left.

Simone had scowled at everyone and everything after each tentative friendship was denied; at night when Clawstorm, weak pitiful Clawstorm, cried into her pillow Simone would crawl into her bed and lay next to her, hold her when things were particularly bad. Simone would curse those maidens, suggest that she and Clawstorm find a way to switch roles, she would compare Clawstorm to that of a little hooded girl lost in a giant gilded cage and call the maidens that feared and hated her so to be the _real_ wolves of the corridors of Ever After castle, how they were bullying Clawstorm down the wrong path. Her hooded roommate cursed Clawstorm's father as well, even though Simone never knew that she had been cursing the man that genetically was Clawstorm's father.

It was different to the way her mother cursed her father, Simone cursed the man's ignorance and his blatant disregard for the safety of one of his students, for Giles was often away taking care of affairs for his brother in the Grand Coven or other places such as that, places unbeknown to Simone were where Clawstorm's mother could often be found, and while Giles was gone there was _no one_ to protect Clawstorm from the maidens.

Simone called Clawstorm's father abusive and other surprisingly graphic things for a maiden to utter, she said that the man was a biased racist and should have never been put in charge of a school as diverse as Ever After.

Clawstorm used to think about how she had come about knowing whom her father was and wondered if there was more to it than what Simone thought.

She didn't quite remember when she had figured out who her father was, there were hints all throughout her life from overheard conversations between her mother and the local mid-wife-slash-witchling healer, pictures she found hidden in the darkest places of the family manor of her mother and her father happily together as a couple, but the real solid evidence she had were those rare times around summer when her mother had thought her asleep the woman would pace and curse propriety and her father's birth name until her mother lost enough control over her powers that it would act up, then her mother would clutch her chest as if her heart were physically hurting her and allow bitter tears to fall.

Her father always considered her an unholy terror; she never had the chance to explain that she was just doing what the maidens demanded her to do, that the tack on the chair wasn't her, or that she was just trying to get away from the maidens and that's why she was using magic in such disruptive ways. When Giles was not there to sort out the truth of the situation the only words her father had ever spoken to her had been sharp, though he never looked her in the eye (never even tried to look her in the eye), and handed out automatic punishments that she was to carry out on her own.

_Her_ princess, the future Snow White of her story tried to help Clawstorm whenever she could, out of pity, but by then Clawstorm had become a threat to be feared and her father had done what he could to protect the future queen of the land from Clawstorm's terror. Making all those things her mother and uncle had said about the family's tradition to protect and look out for the future queen and prince a cruel lie.

Despite the cruelty she had lived with at the time Clawstorm had learned valuable lessons as well, lessons in being ruthless and to not rely on frail friendships for anything of the like, but the biggest lesson she had learned at school had come directly from her father.

Legacy year, a week before the signing, Clawstorm had gone on strike, refusing to go to class, refusing to step a foot outside her dorm, and threatening to not sign the Book and forsake her destiny.

Her father had called her to his office the day before the Signing, the faculty assigned to retrieve her, practically had to drag her there but lo and behold she ended up seated across his giant polished desk from him, and for the first time in her life he was actually looking at her.

She didn't get a chance to say a word, which was fine, because he was actually looking at her and as a result her voice had seemed to leave her.

He lectured her for a long time, talked himself in circles, tried to drive the point home, and suddenly Clawstorm understood; her confusion over why things were the way they were had cleared up.

Blood was everything; he had told her, she was born to be evil, bred specifically to be the Evil Queen, she could not run away from destiny and be something else, she had to embrace her fate and become the perfect example of her ancestor, she had to strive for perfection in her character. It may not be fair but it was the only way she could exist in this world.

And so she signed the Book, dropped her attempts at forming friendships, gave the maidens something_ real _to fear, and studied. She took up all of her free time studying, practicing magic, sneaking in texts so forbidden that Simone demanded that they be locked up in a magic circle when not in use, and slowly Clawstorm disappeared leaving the Evil Queen in her place.

The Evil Queen had created the spawn to be her champion, to protect her from those who would try to hurt her.

But she was the Evil Queen now, not Clawstorm; she could defend herself just fine! She was something that all could fear and because it was her destiny she loved it when it was like that!

But the spawn was not an Evil Queen; spawn never signed the Book of Legends so she did not have that inherent defense against others.

Without the influence of their ancestor the spawn could not protect herself from becoming twisted up, from being molded away from her true nature.

The Evil Queen created the spawn, and in certain ways the Evil Queen loved the spawn despite the fact that Evil Queens loved no one, her mother had been flawed in that respect of her parenting, giving Clawstorm hope for a different future, but there was no denying the need… the instinct to protect the spawn from the lies of the world.

Perhaps that was why the spawn hated her so; the Evil Queen had not calculated just how far the abuse from this place must have harmed her.

The Evil Queen turned to place both palms onto the ground, pouring magic down and into her remaining golem army.

A good tactician knew when to retreat, knew when to cut losses and redirect the battle plan, when to shift focus to more important things.

The Evil Queen still needed her weapon to win the long-term war against the worlds, but the spawn needed the Evil Queen to protect her from the hurt and the lies that this world dished out in it's current form.

The spell she was currently weaving was risky, and it could end up killing her, killing _them both_ if she managed to actually reach the spawn, but they needed each other and the Evil Queen was going to make certain that _no one_ would hurt them ever again.

Magic poured out of the golems nearest to the geyser forming a giant ball of power, layered heavily so that if it was attacked with that special potion the under layers would stay intact.

The ball began spinning; faster and faster it went the high-pitched whine of pure energy being built up causing the enemy forces to back off in fear.

The Evil Queen needed to take the curse directly to the spawn and in order to do that she needed to create a protective tunnel that could bridge part of the curse directly to Ever After where she could anchor it with her own power core and hopefully the connection would stay strong enough until the Evil Queen could reach the spawn.

On a more positive note the resulting blast from the curse connecting with her magic should vaporize a good portion of the Wonderlandian forces on the other side.

XXX

"She's going to kill them all!" Brooke Page hollered completely panicked. "She's going to take the curse to Ever After and the Wonderlandian forces nearest to the portal are all gonna die!" The girl continued to scream seemingly inconsolable despite her parents trying to soothe her.

"Brooke? How long have you been watching?" The male voice asked sounding worried.

Silently the Wonderlandian soldiers grabbed the tea masters, who had been bending concentrated Bleeding Rebel Heart tea and the special serum into the water leading to the geyser, and beat a hasty retreat to a farther, safer distance away while the two adult narrators attempted to calm their daughter.

"Perhaps this isn't a story suitable for you Brooke, maybe you should head on to bed and let us tell you what happens in the morning." The female voice cooed.

"But if the Evil Queen wins and we all live in a world under her control-" The girl began to cry sounding terrified.

"That won't happen Brooke." The male voice assured. "Raven and Apple are too strong to let that happen and there are too many people against the Evil Queen for her to win, this will all work out on it's own."

"But how many people have to die before that happens?" Brooke demanded sobbing.

"Nobody yet, I think that they've heard us." The female voice muttered looking down to the deserted area below them.

With a high-pitched percussion of sound a column of tainted magic shot through the geyser ripping at the ground and spreading the water wide, it tore through the ceiling of the cavern and continued upward until it struck the curse looming ominously high in the sky.

XXX

"Apple!" Raven shouted looking around as wildly as her injured form could allow, Cupid having to help hold her upright with her soft wings. Once again she cursed her numbed senses and prayed for a speedy annihilation of the mass quantities of bowing golems keeping her from getting to Apple quicker.

"Raven?" Apple's curious voice perked up from… somewhere.

"Apple? Apple! I'm over here, try to follow my voice!" Raven shouted back, a little relieved that the princess didn't sound too far away.

"Raven! Raven I'm coming for you! Just hold on!" The princess promised, this was soon followed by a string of choice words for the golems who were apparently making a nuisance of themselves by bowing and thus being constantly in the way.

"I'm over here Apple! Just keep following my voice!" Raven tried to peer over the creatures in front of her but to no avail seeing as how even bowing they were just too massive to see over.

More swear words directed at the golems came from Apple before the princess simply had enough.

"**_GET THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY!_**" The princess roared with a demanding force that made Cupid's wings twitch back slightly, white magic could just be seen over the backs of the golems which made Raven glow back in response.

The golems hastily did as told, even going as far as to push each other over as they backed away, creating a clear path from Apple right to Raven.

The princess ran to Raven, Briar doing her best to keep up, while Raven, whom was being supported by Cupid, stumbled her way to Apple, reaching out with both arms pleadingly towards the princess.

The princess grabbed the witch's hands, pulling Raven close yet refraining from hugging her in response to seeing the seeping wounds of the witch's exposed skin through the ripped fabric of her clothes.

"Don't you dare scare me like that again! You hear me? Never again!" Apple demanded cradling Raven's head and face in her hands while kissing the areas of skin that had been left bruised by the curse.

"Yes mam', never again, _never ever_ again." Raven murmured tears of relief flowing from her eyes.

A high-pitched whine interrupted their moment, Apple defensively stepping in front of Raven and shielding the witch with her body.

"What was-?" Briar began to say but a powerful boom interrupted her.

XXX

"Tiffany's on her way to pick you two up!" Humphrey's voice spoke through Raven's phone.

"About time! I'm done with this hell!" Faybelle reached for Cedar and hooked her arms around the stiff girl, too busy looking at the battlefield and the sky to notice the creeping puppet threads moving toward the fairy or the fact that leafy twigs where growing out of Cedar's body.

Almost on cue tiffany flew by on her dragon.

"Step out to the edge!" The blonde called. "I'll make sure that nothing tries to take a potshot at you while you fly up!"

Faybelle did as told, only managing to reach the dragon before she felt something wrapping around her wings, restricting their movement, and heard Tiffany shout as she was grabbed with the same strings holding Faybelle captive.

The two entrapped girls screamed as the puppet strings that remained free swung off the surprised dragon and hurdled them towards the Wonderland portal.

Faybelle felt her body convulse as they passed just inches from the Evil Queen's spell, the heat from the sheer amount of energy felt searing hot on her exposed skin sending her wings into a desperate struggle to get away from their imprisonment.

The phantom strings helped soften their landing down onto the hard underground cavern floor, by grabbing onto the roof of the cave and lowering them down at a slower pace, to the point where the fall was survivable but Faybelle was still left immobile for several moments as she tried to suck air back into her lungs, Cedar's body using the opportunity to unwrap her captives and slip away.

"Tiffany! Faybelle! Cedar- or whoever is in her body right now! Please respond!" Hunter's voice called out from the morrorphones, which were still, thankfully, in working order.

"Still here!" Tiffany coughed, rolling over with a groan. She gave Pico Paco a smile when the tiny coffee golem held up her phone helpfully. Hunter looked her over from the screen before sighing and nodding his head appeased that she was indeed all right.

"_What the hell do you think your doing_?" Faybelle's furious voice caused Pico Paco to turn around and Tiffany to attempt to get up, one hand reaching for her purple stained rope and her trusty switch blade she had received from Edward's mothers for her birthday, and always kept in her boot for emergencies.

The fairy was shaking Cedar's shoulders, trying to kick up the roots growing from the girl's legs and into the loosened soil beneath them. Cedar stood seemingly unhearing, her usual daily dress ripping at the seems and falling off in large sections as branches began to grow from her body, with her back to them all she faced the portal with wide, dark eyes.

"Stop it!" Faybelle demanded desperately, grunting when a rebellious root moved under the fairy's boot, causing her to lose balance and fall onto her back. "If you keep this up Cedar will- you will not harm her! I won't stand for it!" The fairy hissed standing up, her hands lighting up with magic, both lifting to reach for Cedar's head and back. Preparing to rip out the invading souls forcefully.

Cedar raised her arms.

The ground around them cracked open, giant springs of Bleeding Rebel Hearts shooting up from the ground creating an intricate curtain reaching towards the sky.

"Cedar!" Faybelle yelled fighting against the mass of vegetation separating her from the wooden girl, Tiffany moving to help the fairy but to no avail.

"What in the kingdom?" Tiffany screamed when she was forced to duck when something shadowy and hot swooped down feet above her head.

The blonde looked up to see the plants seemingly fighting against the mass of shadowy magic, trying to get into the green glowing center. In response to the attack the shadowy stuff tried to fight back, trying to burn through the growing mass to get to Cedar. The wooden girl could just be seen inside, moving her arms expertly, directing the plants to move and grow to her will.

"Try to rope her up in this and pull her out!" Tiffany threw her rope to Faybelle. "Pico Paco, help her out will you?" The girl asked her pet, to which the coffee golem saluted taking the other end of the rope Faybelle was now looking at (wondering how in the world she was going to get it through the mass of plants), and running in between the gaps he could fit through to where Cedar was.

The blonde gripped her switch blade and turned her attention toward the shadows swooping down, the knife was seven inches long, earlier in the year Tiffany had worried that it might be a bit long for a little girl to justify having on her, now she worried if the blade would be long enough.

"Hey, kid!" Faybelle called pushing something into the girl's side. "Dip your blade into this, the mouth should be big enough."

Tiffany looked down to see a bottle with a dark liquid being offered to her, the smell of wet Bleeding Rebel Hearts and strong alcohol reached her nose.

With a grin Tiffany dipped her knife into the solution, taking it out and giving an experimental swipe into the air, a sliver of purple light and a disturbance of air followed the action, slicing through a thread of smoke attacking one of the plant stalks.

"Neat, thanks Faybelle!" Tiffany giggled as she stepped forth with several more sweeping gestures, cutting through the magic smoke, as it appeared a few feet within reach.

"Just keep that stuff away from me until I can reach Cedar!" Faybelle ordered peering through the vegetation to see the blonde's pet give her a thumb's up from the top of Cedar's head, purple rope wrapped securely around the girl.

"Right." Faybelle muttered empowering the rope with her magic and pulling.

As the plants grew and spread more shadowy tendrils attacked in response, within minutes Tiffany was beginning to feel overwhelmed as she tried to keep up with them all.

One of the tendrils escaped her notice attacking an already badly burned stalk and causing it to fall over, forcing Tiffany to leap out of the way.

"Ow…" Tiffany whimpered hissing as she clutched her smarting wrist and knee. Idly she noticed that the cave floor was covered in a carpet of small Bleeding Rebel Hearts.

Several tendrils of smoke combined into one giant smoky spear, barreling right for the Blonde.

Tiffany grabbed her blade with her good hand and raised it in defense.

Suddenly there was a large red shape looming over her slicing Tiffany's attacker into nonexistence.

Tiffany looked up with a cry of relief at the sight of a knight dressed in red armor standing above her.

Her savior wasn't alone, all around them soldiers of the Heart Queen fought back against the attacking spell of the Evil Queen. Others were helping Faybelle pull Cedar out of the tangle of giant Bleeding Rebel Hearts.

Tiffany gave the knight who saved her a smile. "Thanks a bunch Mr…"

"Chase Redford, also known as the Red Knight." Spoke an echoing voice. "Can you stand?" He asked concerned.

Tiffany retracted the blade of her knife and put it back into her boot before moving to stand. "I think that I ca-." But before she could reach her full height the girl screeched in pain and would have fallen back down if not for armored hands catching her around her middle.

"How do you feel about being perched on my shoulder? That way we can both do our part." The knight proposed.

"Sounds good to me." Tiffany grunted, holding onto the knight's arms and tried to ignore her knee, which was throbbing with a sharp pain, shooting up and down her leg.

The magic above them rumbled angrily, larger sections of the roof falling down exposing the light from Wonderland's sun and the looming shadow of the curse swirling in the sky.

Streaks of white began invading the poisonous green center of the column of magic leading from the curse to Ever After, spreading with increasing speed as it continued to change the nature of the curse it was invading.

"Watch out for falling debris!" Someone shouted.

"Almost got her out!" Faybelle reported, a curious glance by Tiffany showed the fairy keeping a secure hold under the arms of a rather leafy Cedar, Pico Paco holding onto the wooden girl's head for dear life as the Faybelle tugged and pulled.

Another rumble; this time coming from the other side of the portal a ball of light bowing the water inward.

"What the hex is_ that_?" Tiffany yelps pointing to the portal.

"Trouble." The Red Knight assesses.

As if to agree with his words a beam of light rips through the bridge between their worlds, annihilating the Evil Queen's magic and striking the curse head on.

"Take cover!" Somebody, who Tiffany guesses is in charge, orders and many on the field comply.

"Come one Cedar, help a girl out here." Faybelle grunts, still trying to pull the wooden girl free.

"Faybelle, Pico Paco, get out of there!" Tiffany pleads over the whine of power, which is growing louder and making the air turn in a violent wind.

"Not yet! I've almost got her!" Faybelle yells back trying to yank Cedar's root-feet free.

"Faybelle!" Tiffany calls again but it was no use, the Red Knight ducked the two of them behind a large section of fallen ceiling and covering the blond with his body, if it weren't for her leg Tiffany might have wiggled herself free and gone to help her two classmates.

"Yes!" Faybelle cheered finally tugging Cedar free.

Her victory was soon cut short as a blinding light surrounded them, moving too fast to even try to escape.


	26. The one with the miracle pt3

Author's note (home stretch!):

Almost done! Trying to get the (hopefully) last part of the chapter all typed up and finished before the weekend is over. Don't know if I can do it but I'm going to try!

At any rate THANK YOU for the reviews and your support! Hope you like this chapter too!

XXX

The one with the miracle pt. 3

XXX

The Evil Queen allowed a moment to breathe in relief when the birds attacking her fled in response to the mass quantity of her exposed magic in the air. She savored not having to worry about the little rats with wings for a few blessed moments before getting down to business.

It was a good thing that she had ended up using layers on her magic because the moment her power punched through the portal to Wonderland she could feel that they had done something suspicious to the water, not that it was such a big surprise, seeing as one curious glance up showed that the water was tinted ever so slightly with a purplish hue. Whatever it was that they had done was enough to scrub a good three layers completely away in the moments it to connect herself to the curse. She would have to work quickly less whatever was in the water worked through the tunnel to the curse itself.

Breathing deeply she steeled herself for the impact of the curse's power, in the milliseconds as she eyed the curse's progress through the tunnel and into the orb mad up of her power she grit her teeth and flinched down at the resulting boom of energy that headed right for her.

She could not hold back the initial scream that ripped from her as the curse's concentrated power bore into her, the force causing her bones to quiver under their muscle and sinew wrapping, the jarring not enough to cause permanent damage but it did make her joints cry out in pain, she tasted iron somewhere in the back of her throat moments before she expelled bile onto the ground.

She could feel the foreign magic seeping into her cells, trying to override her control, to take control over her body.

She fought back with a growl and a harsh lashing with her own power, she would not tolerate for any insolence from something that was little more than base instinct and dark magic, least of all from something that _she_ had created.

The curse was conjured not only to secure her future victory but it was also a tool for the spawn to use, as her champion and most prized weapon the spawn would need something that did not back down easily from outside attack which was why it had been painstakingly tailored to the spawn's magic signature and biology, so that no harm would come to her champion from the very thing she was to use against the worlds.

However since the spawn's genetics were only half the same as hers and the thrice-damned True Love with the vial seed to the White clan had changed the configuration of the spawn's power completely (it had taken weeks to carefully tweak the spawn's power core to be more compatible with hers! All of that tedious work, for nothing), the Evil Queen would now have to be forced to keep constant vigilance on the power within her lest it take her over and end up suffocating itself inside an incompatible host thus killing her as well.

It wasn't a necessarily difficult thing to do but it was one more thing she had to keep track of in the mass of confusion this battle was turning into.

With an irritated sigh the Evil Queen shakily sat up and put all golems outside the school grounds on standby, the instant relief she felt when she no longer had to feed that section of her army with the power to move and attack caused her to hum in reluctant gratification. She felt more energetic, less strained, which would be useful since she was going to have to go toe to toe with her mother very soon.

The Evil Queen leapt into the air, scouring the ground below for the spawn.

XXX

"You think that'll be enough to wipe out the golems on the lawn?" Cerise asked casually turning side to side, her ax brandished at the golems in the distance threateningly, said creatures were sizing her up yet keeping a wary distance, it would seem that it had finally registered to the horde as a whole that the tiny hooded girl was a serious threat to their numbers.

At least that was what Cerise was hoping the reason was, it was kind of creepy hearing (even through a phone) that the Evil Queen wanted to turn her into a tool like she wanted to do to Raven, that and Cerise got the slightly uneasy feeling that the insane women had a… some sort of crush on her own _mother_ (which, if proved true, was ew… just ew).

"Only one way to find out." Giles shrugged capping the piping that led to the sprinkler system's water tank.

"We will have to turn on the sprinklers one section at a time, and even then it'll take a moment for each sector to power up and power down so we must choose an area wisely." Giles explained turning his mirrorphone to the little diagram showing the sections of the campus's lawns in multicolored shapes and numbers.

Hunter studied the map, looking off to the side to make certain that he knew exactly where he was. "Hit section five, it's where Raven and Apple are and the portal to Wonderland, and soon I don't like what I see at the momen-"

A loud boom interrupted him.

"Hunter!" Daring turned his full attention to his own phone which he had been holding up with his good arm (the other Cerise had wrapped up within his ruined jacket in a makeshift sling) so that whoever was keeping an eye on them at home base could see their situation.

"Still here! Holy- do whatever you are going to do! _Now_ would be a very good idea!" Hunter ordered; Daring frowned at the look of worry on the other boy's face.

Giles complied, pushing a button and pulling a lever, the machine inside the grounds shed whirring to life.

"Do you need back up?" The prince asked, his hand itching for his sword.

"We could use Cerise's speed pretty soon, yes!" Hunter's voice almost sounded pleading.

"I'll be there soon but somebody needs to guard Giles and the Headmaster." Cerise requested cracking her knuckles as best she could with one hand full.

"Ginger, Darling, and I have you in our sights. We will be there soon." Lizzie reported and when Cerise took a look around she could indeed see the mentioned witch riding on one of Ashlynn's dragons and from the flailing limbs (along with flying heads) of panicked golems in the background she deduced that that the three other girls would be there within a few minutes-

"**_Off with your heads!"_** Lizzie cackled and the whole front line of golems facing Cerise's group did just that.

Correction, Cerise thought as she let out a low whistle, they would be there in _under_ a minute.

The Headmaster squinted when something caught his eye. "How did Miss Hearts get her hands on a pair of pretty-maid gloves? Aren't they a banned weapon in Ever After? And since when did Miss Charming become so proficient with a sword?" The man murmured his brow furrowing in confusion.

"This used to be an ordinary hairpin that Lizzie had loaned to Cedar. Or at least it appeared to be just an ordinary hair pin." Cerise held up her battle-ax. "And on weekends Lizzie, Maddie, and Kitty have been teaching Raven how to hunt bandersnitch."

"How to hunt- but Ever After doesn't have bandersnitch." The Headmaster pointed out helplessly.

"Wonderland is a warrior society brother." Giles pointed out. "And Miss Hearts is the heir to a throne of warrior queens. It is not a far stretch to assume that her mother had smuggled a few… defense precautions for her daughter."

"And Miss Charming?" The Headmaster asked sounding like he wasn't too certain about wanting to hear an answer.

"The whole princess thing wasn't for her so she's going to be a knight instead." Daring shrugged his shoulders. "It's actually brought her closer to us, her brothers, she bonds with us while sparing with me and helping Dexter study princely etiquette. Personally I think that it's just as well seeing as how she's happy and as her big brother all that I really want is to see my baby sister happy."

The prince stares politely at the Headmaster but the older man notes a certain protective gleam in the boy's eyes and a subtle defensive shift in his feet.

"I'm sure that she is happy to have such understanding brothers." Milton sighed mentally giving up even trying to argue about destiny and proper princess behavior, it hardly mattered now that all of their lives were on the line and it would be rude to criticize someone who was fighting to keep his granddaughter alive.

Raven… Raven Queen was his granddaughter; the concept just boggled his mind, after all he had woken up just that morning believing that he had always been childless and now he had a daughter and granddaughter.

His daughter was the Evil Queen, Milton thought his heart clenching painfully, little Clawstorm whom he could never bear to look in the eye or be in the same room without feeling his heart break for what he thought was a living reminder for what could never be.

"Daring!" Darling Charming sheathed her sword and wrapped her arms around her brother's neck. Daring returned the embrace as much as he could with his good arm wrapped securely around his sister's waist.

As the princess-turned-knight began fussing over her brother's bound arm Milton looked away to stare unseeing towards Ever After castle, his mind beginning to fill with "what if's" as it finally sunk in that all this time he had a family that he never knew even existed.

And now he was on the verge of losing them all in the same afternoon that he had finally found out about them. Elenore was a… she would be moving on to the afterlife far too soon, Raven's life was in danger and if she survived there was a good chance she'd never want to see him again, and Clawstorm-…

They were going to kill her. Clawstorm, Elenore's daughter, his daughter, the flesh and blood that in his jealous grieving he had always tried to avoid, just as he tried to avoid her mother. He had just found out that she was his child and now she was going die… if she was lucky, he realized with growing horror that should she be captured alive… he couldn't even finish the thought. It would be just too horrible whatever her enemies had in store.

But if she were not defeated then Raven Queen's life would be at stake, his young granddaughter who always longed to forge a better future for herself and was not shy about defiantly telling him to his face that he did not have a say whatsoever about what that better future would entail yet turn around and kindly rescue him from being burned alive, or secretly donate a shipment of expensive magical dermal ointment to get rid of the boils on his skin (he had thought he had gone insane when he had overheard the witch talk in quiet tones to Healer Phalange from behind his little curtained off area about how she would prefer it if he never found out who had been the giver of the ointment that had ensured his skin healed with no scaring), or to just simply levitate a book off the top shelf so that he would not attempt to strain his bad leg by attempting to get it himself.

The man sighed clutching his hair.

"I'll be fine Darling, as long as I can still wield a sword and Cerise is somewhere nearby." Daring tried to reason.

"You're hurt!" Darling stressed. "You can't move or feel a whole arm Daring!"

"And Raven is in worse shape than I am and needs all the help she can get." Daring argued back his tone calm. "Besides… I have failed to protect her once… I do not want to do that again so, I apologize if I am causing you worry but I have to go, I need to protect my friend." The boy's tone turned guilty as he looked at his sister pleadingly in the eye.

Darling made an aggravated sound but ended up sighing in defeat.

"Then I'm going with you." The younger girl declared with a snarl; there was a sparkle in her eye that was equal parts fond and annoyed. "Cerise will be our front defense and we will cover her back, I will act as your left arm. It's reckless and after this is all over you are going to be in _so much trouble_, but I have sparred with you enough to read your movements like a book, and I certainly hope that the same goes for you with me!"

Daring smiled, Darling found it odd that it wasn't his signature charming grin, the stretch of his lips looked far too warm and his eyes seemed to soften in a way she had never seen them do.

"That's my baby sister." The prince hugged his sister one more time. "I am so proud of you, never change."

"It's time we get going." Cerise informed the siblings reluctantly. "Lizzie, Ginger, are you guys alright with one man down?"

"I'm sure that Ashlynn's dragon will make up for Darling's absence." Ginger spoke from the back of said dragon who had perched himself atop of the shed roof, the witch patted the creature's furry head making the beast purr in response.

"Apple and Raven need more people helping them anyway, besides these two were the ones to trap the Evil Queen in the first place so it's not like you are leaving us with too much of a burden." Lizzie smirked with her hands on her hips.

Milton looked around the battle-torn landscape, and then shared a look with Giles; the both of them had gotten off insanely lucky the last time they had dealt with the Evil Queen, there was no denying it now that the evidence was right in front of them.

Milton remembered that part of the biggest fight that they had ever shared all those years ago, before Milton had cursed and imprisoned Giles, was about whether or not they should relocate the mirror that held the Evil Queen, Giles begged to turn the woman over to the authorities or even to relocate her themselves.

Milton hadn't realized just how lucky they had been when they had taken the Evil Queen by surprise, he never really understood himself why he fought like a stubborn mule to keep the Evil Queen in his Headmaster's chambers, just that he feared what would happen if someone were to happen upon her one day, she had so many enemies in the world, she'd be…

He wanted to protect her, protect Elenore's witchling, his former student, yet in the end his refusal to act quickly enough now put his daughter, his granddaughter, and his students in danger.

"Hold this while I run you two over to the party." Cerise gave Darling her ax. "Let's wipe out as many of these thing as we can along the way."

"I'll do my best." Darling smiled nervously as she clutched the ax tightly, she wasn't so sure how well she'd be able to fight while going at top speeds.

"You'll do fine." Cerise assured as she picked Darling up by the waist, almost as if reading the other girl's mind. "Just keep the blade steady in your grip and let my speed do the rest, same goes to you Mr. Prince Charming." Cerise smirked playfully at Daring.

Daring gave the wolf-girl an equally nervous smile before letting himself be picked up around the waist.

"Let's show them what we've got yeah?" Cerise gave the two siblings a feral toothy grin.

Darling and Daring readied their weapons and nodded, returning Cerise's feral grin with one of their own.

"Let's go." With that as their only warning the three took off.

XXX

"Any word yet from the Grand Coven?" Ashlynn demanded eyeing the growing pile of disassembled golems all around them. For a while she had feared that they would be buried alive but after a certain height the golems still coming at them had begun to throw off their deceased kin only to ram into the magic circle protecting the soft bodied people inside and met the same disassembled fate as the others.

"Not yet!" Humphrey shook his head, wincing when he chanced to look over his shoulder and was startled by the nattering teeth of a couple dozen golems.

"Why is it taking so long? I mean I was able to reach my parents no problem just…" Melody Piper looked at her watch. "Barely and hour and a half ago…"

"Damn…" Sparrow cursed under his breath, giving a particularly vicious golem the stink eye. "That got ugly really fast, and I don't just mean the fighting, the lady who made these ugly things is really sick in the head."

"They have to keep radio silence up to a certain distance." Ashlynn informed soberly. "Standard protocol for any hostile battle situation which had gone into effect the same year mirrorphones became so popular and widespread, they want to keep the element of surprise over their enemies and to prevent themselves from being tracked from any unsecured long-ranged communication. And no one here knows how to contact the Good King from… wherever he is right now with the Grand Coven."

"But the Evil Queen was imprisoned before mirrorphones came out!" Cerise complained through the network of phones, Daring and Darling's squeals of fear could be heard as well as they raced around campus at top speeds. "She has yet to catch on that we are communicating with each other as far as I can tell!" The wolf-girl griped.

"Military operations have to run under certain guidelines unless they are given a good reason not to." Ashlynn sighed in frustration.

"So we can call our parents and friends to let them know that we are neck deep in trouble but the actual people who are supposed to rescue us are out of service?" Sparrow spat sounding disgusted. "What the fuck kind of sense does that make?"

"That's it!" Dexter suddenly cried out, sounding excited. "That's how we can get around the radio silence and get in touch with them! Sparrow you are a genius!"

Sparrow blinked, just barely avoiding choking on air when wide happy eyes behind thick glasses turned to him.

"Well of course I am!" Sparrow declared blushing slightly. "Er… why don't you tell me what I am a genius about?"

"Yes explain." Ashlynn ordered loudly to be heard over the golem's shrieks; she was willing to hear any ideas at this point, even if it meant giving Sparrow Hood of all people a reason to be called a genius.

"We need to call someone who can contact the Grand Coven from the other side or has the authority to contact our rescue party directly." Dexter grinned widely despite having to raise his voice as well.

"Queen Snow White's personal phone number is in my contacts." Ashlynn told the two boys in glasses. "She's listed under the name; _Big Apple_." She shouted, her voice suddenly sounded defining in the sudden silence.

"Why is it so quiet?" Someone wondered as they all looked around.

"The golems… they've stopped." Melody observed with a shiver.

"Is this a good thing or a bad thing?" Sparrow gulped.

"Let's be safe and assume that it's a very bad thing. Dexter, Humphrey, Dial now!" Ashlynn ordered keeping one weary eye on the mass of golems frozen eerily in place, seemingly ready to come back to life and attack at any given moment.

"Her phone's already ringing." Humphrey assured.

"Ashlynn! What is going on? Where is my daughter? Is little Raven still alive?" Came a sharp voice on the heels of Humphrey's statement.

Ashlynn turned to face the woman who had just popped on screen, shoulders back and standing like a full-grown ruler herself. "Your majesty, your daughter and Raven are still alive but we need you to get into contact with the Grand Coven and the Good King, we have urgent information to give them!" Ashlynn's tone was both commanding and pleading.

"Seeing as the Good King and High General Bane Queen of the Grand Coven are both standing right beside me and we are all in a giant air ship heading right for the school you can just get to talking now little missy!" Snow White barked out, though she did seem to relax slightly.

Ashlynn steeled herself, she was certain that slight hint of relief around the woman's eyes would disappear once she found out just where exactly her daughter was at the moment.

XXX

Raven hugged herself closer to Apple's side when she spied the Evil Queen take to the sky, her fears spreading anew in her chest.

Apple turned in the witch's hold so that she could gently wrap an arm around Raven's waist and cradle her head to her shoulder. The two held their breath as the Evil Queen scanned the ground with her glowing eyes, looking _for them_.

The woman seemed to look bigger and more terrifying than before, even though, Apple mentally calculated, the Evil Queen was still the same size and was bleeding from the multiple injuries all over her body. There was this shadowy green… _bad-feeling_ magic surrounding her, and the look on the woman's face… it was far more serious, like up till now I had all been a game to the Evil Queen but… but now it wasn't.

Despite her own fear Apple felt fiery anger begin to grow in her belly in response to Raven's fear of the woman, how dare this… this sorry excuse for a queen harm the girl that Apple loved and reduced her to the point where she could barely stand she was so scared!

The Evil Queen had been nothing but overconfident and so aggravatingly self-important in everything that she had done thus far… a part of Apple _hoped_ that bad habit continued, because if the woman tried to tear her away from Raven or get too close for Raven's comfort (granted the Evil Queen being on the same living plain of existence with Raven was far too close for Apple's comfort) then Apple was going to take a chance, her fingers flexed from their places on Raven's hips, Apple itched for the Evil Queen to dare come close enough for Apple to scratch her eyes out and-

Several purple streaks of light rammed into the Evil Queen pushing the woman back to hit the edge where one of the very few places the quarantine shield still stood and one of the ever widening holes that littered it.

The Evil Queen seemed to convulse violently after impact, and when Apple squinted she could have sworn she saw darkening cracks in the woman's skin.

Over a dozen copies of Elenore formed out of the dancing streaks of purple magic, the Evil Queen growled firing back at her attackers.

Hunter flew by on his dragon as close as he dared taking aim with a slingshot and waited, when he saw an opening he fired, whatever vessel he had shot broke on impact with the Evil Queen causing the woman to cease her attacks towards Elenore in favor of clutching her side, just beneath her breasts, and howled in agony.

Apple once again noticed that the cracks on the woman's skin seemed to grow bigger.

The small army of Elenores grabbed the Evil Queen with tendrils of their magic and bodily threw the woman over Ever After castle and out of sight before charging after the other witch, her hands ablaze with purple magic.

XXX

"Five minutes or so until the pipes fill with enough water." Giles reported to his phone. "How are things looking with you Mister Huntsman?"

"Lady Elenore is giving the Evil Queen the fight of her life." The boy reported sounding a little distracted, in the background the old man could hear Clawstorm swear violently.

"Wait, Elenore's alive?" Spoke a new voice.

"Ah… no your highness Snow White, you see… Lady Elenore's body was destroyed in a battle with the Evil Queen before Wonderland was invaded, but somehow Lady Elenore has managed to keep her spirit from moving on… and now she is using whatever energy she has left to help us fight the Evil Queen and protect Raven… her granddaughter." Ashlynn tried to explain sounding just as distracted as Hunter.

There was a pause.

"_What?_" Snow White asked sounding a little shrill.

"My daughter had mentioned that the powerful witch that had died trying to rescue her was probably her grandmother…" A worried baritone voice spoke. "I'm… a bit confused on one thing though, was I hearing things when she just said that a ghost is giving Clawstorm, _the Clawstorm_, the fight of her life?"

"No sir your hearing is perfectly fine." Ashlynn assured nervously.

They all heard a twang before someone in the background started howling in pain.

"Yeah! I got her!" Hunter cheered.

Milton winced at the Evil- at Clawstorm's cries of pain and hung his head.

"Brother…" Giles placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'll be fine in here, why don't you go wait outside with Miss Hearts and Miss Breadhouse… you will not want to be hearing whatever is coming next." The younger brother spoke gently.

Milton wondered as he ambled out; when his little brother had grown stronger than him, to the point where he was still able to keep his head in this situation yet still find the time to comfort him.

The two teenaged girls standing guard outside and on the roof of the shed took one look at him and chanced a moment to search their pockets for a set of headsets (Lizzie Hearts, he noticed, had the new kind that worked without the wires), which they immediately plugged into their phones an put a bud into their ears, keeping one ear free to listen around them for trouble.

The Headmaster wearily eyed a few golems who were racing to reach the other side of the school, no doubt racing to aid their mistress from being…

Milton rested the side of his head on the cool stone making up the maintenance shed with a tired sigh.

Lizzie stiffened holding one hand to her ear. "Ginger you get that?" The brunet asked.

"The Evil Queen is coming this way!" Ginger confirmed, taking her headset out of her phone and rousing her dragon in preparation.

No longer than a second later a small, yelling dot soared over Ever After castle.

"Incoming!" Lizzie warned flinching when the Evil Queen threw out a protective shield before she hit the ground, kicking up dirt and debris as she slid across the lawn.

Elenore followed shortly after, throwing up a shield of her own and ramming down atop the other witch forcing the Evil Queen to throw up another shield in defense.

"Elenore! Clawstorm!" Milton shouted making to run over.

"Hold back sir!" Lizzie barked holding up one strong arm to hold the man back.

"Get out of the way Miss Hearts!" Milton pled trying to move past her but the girl grabbed his wrist in a strong grip.

"No I will not!" Lizzie growled her tone chastising. "You would do nothing but get in the way, perhaps even getting yourself killed!"

"That's my daughter and the woman I love!" Milton tried to twist out of the young girl's grip.

"I know!" Lizzie snapped. "But there is simply nothing you can do to help either one of them now! The only thing you can do is _wait_ and see the outcome!"

Milton gave a few more desperate tugs before stumbling back and slumping against the wall of the shed, shaking hand covering his mouth as Lizzie held his arm tightly and he could do nothing but watch.


	27. The one with the miracle pt4

The one with the miracle pt.4

XXX

The blonde princess heaved a sigh in relief when the Evil Queen disappeared out of sight, idly running her fingers through Raven's hair soothingly.

The witch in her arms shivered clutching the princess tighter. "Apple…" Raven sniffed burrowing her head into the other's collarbone.

"Shh, hey none of that." Apple cooed pressing a kiss to the shell of Raven's ear. "I will not allow myself to be ripped from your side a second time." The princess whispered in the witch's ear fervently, passionately. "Please be brave for a little while longer, we are stronger together, we can get through this as long as we are together." Apple promised over and over again the white magic surrounding them warming and growing until Raven could no longer feel the harsh bite of the chilled wind and even the golems were flinching back from the force of their combined power.

"I'll try." Raven sniffed sounding vulnerable. "For you I will always do my very best."

Apple gifted her with a radiant smile that caused a few surprised groans from the golems who had been blinded by it.

"I'll never ask for anything more." Apple giggled nuzzling Raven's ear and giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Ancestors I love you so much, after this is all done and over with I'm going to…" Unable to contain herself Apple placed several more kisses along Raven's forehead, cheek, and jaw.

"I know." Raven let loose a tentative breathless giggle. "Me too, I love you too, so very much."

"It's like they don't realize that they are in the middle of a warzone and I'm pretty sure that we stopped even _existing_ to them some time ago." Briar grumbled darkly.

"Awww." Cupid cooed at the couple in front of them, who were currently too busy making kissy faces at one another to care about Briar's complaints.

"Don't encourage them!" The mage chastised half-heartedly.

The two not-entangled girls looked up as golems fell all around them in large masses.

"Cerise!" Briar laughed her face lighting up with a smile.

Cerise ran in a blur of red around the area in a few more sweeps, leaving masses of destroyed golems in her wake before appearing to the side of Briar, a pair of wide-eyed Charming siblings in each arm, looking for all the world like a very pleased hunting hound bringing the prized kill to lay at the princess's feet.

"You called?" Cerise grinned at Briar goofily her canine teeth more prominent with her ears in full display.

"Hah-ah ha…" Darling squeaked holding onto her borrowed ax for dear life. "W-well that happened…"

Daring managed to wobble over to his sister and catch her as she slumped out of Cerise's hold before arranging the both of them to sit quietly on the ground for a few stunned moments, their weapons within reach should they be necessary at a second's notice.

Briar wasted no time wrapping Cerise up in the strongest hug she could muster, laughing in relief as Cerise picked her up and spun her around.

"I'm so happy that you're ok!" The princess declared once her feet touched the ground again her voice muffled by the other's cloak.

"I'm happy to be around to see you again." Cerise mumbled returning the princess's hug. "Even the prospect of you kicking my ass makes me happy."

"It had better!" Briar laughed kissing Cerise's cheek, making the wolf-girl grin wider.

A bemused expression crossed Cerise's face when she looked over Briar's shoulder. "So… just how long have those two been like that?" She pointed to Raven and Apple who where off in their own little world, clearly not noticing anything that had been going on around them.

Briar sighed tiredly. "A while, I'd be happier for them if the situation were different but… I'm pretty sure Elenore had said over the phone that they need to lock lips in order to fight off the curse… or change it, whatever, but so far they've been ah…"

"Taking their time?" Cerise asked.

"Yeah." Briar sighed again resting her cheek on Cerise's shoulder.

Cerise looked around, the… lawn they were standing in looked like a junkyard with lawn sculptures and trees poking up from the depths of the debris (she wasn't able to tell which lawn at the moment, too much junk), in the far distance she could see golems attempting to charge over the piles of their fallen brethren without tripping, most managing to get a glance (those who had eyes at any rate) at either her or the "_love-birds_" in the corner, and then deciding that holding back was in their best interests (at least Cerise liked to think that it was partly her presence that was giving the artificial beasts some pause). Many were being picked off by students either in the air or the ground, Maddie and Kitty were doing especially well tearing apart the golems they came across, using their combined talents to finished the creatures off in mass quantities.

Here and there Cerise could see the people riding on Ashlynn's dragons fly down to pick up people and then begin to fly them over their way; word had spread that all fighting students who were not defending the last of the school faculty (Giles and the Headmaster) were to converge on this area and help out for whatever came next (Hunter had sounded rather militaristic all throughout this whole thing which was an odd thing to hear from the same guy who, just that very morning, she had seen making baby talk at three little ducklings as he helped escort them and their mother across a road).

"Hmm…" Cerise's ear twitched at a sound too low for her human friends to pick up, she immediately raised an arm to half drape her cloak over Briar before reaching back to cover her own head with her torn hood. "You're gonna want to hide under here unless you want to get completely soaked." She stated as an explanation when the princess turned to her curiously.

"Huh?" Briar blinked at her from under the cloak but the answer to her unspoken question came as soon as the sprinklers rose from the ground and began spraying everything with purple tinted water. Golems in the distance could be heard screaming their last.

The embracing princess and witch startled when they felt something hit them with sprinkles of water and their friends yelp in surprise.

"Looks like they've done something to the sprinkler system." Raven observed looking around, only to blush at the growing number of staring eyes. Discreetly she tried to move Apple's hand, which had somehow managed to sneak its way down to gently cup her bum, farther north on her body.

Apple gave Raven a pout, her hand refusing to move an inch away from its very comfortable resting place. "What?" The princess blinked innocently.

"Aren't you supposed to be the more prudish one in this relationship?" Raven demanded blushing heavily. "Never in the time that I've known you would I have guessed that you would be ok with… this sort of public display." Raven squeaked her entire face turning red when the princess's other hand started to gently migrate down the other side of her body with clear intention.

"I have just spent the worst week of my life holding myself back, constantly worrying that you will be swept away by another suitor, hiding from my best friend out of fear that she would slay me for being so thick in the head, fearing for your life, teased out of my mind whenever I so much as caught a glimpse of you!" Apple rested her forehead on Raven's. "And now you are finally in my arms, half naked, almost soaking wet, and alive, and I've never been so happy or so in love in my life. Yet, once again, you _are_ half naked and about half of the people surrounding us has either helped hide you away from me or has had a family member offer you a betrothal request." Apple didn't turn her head away from Raven but she did manage give a few people a muted stink eye out of the corner of her vision.

Cerise could be heard snickering in the background, Raven sighed rolling her eyes.

"As if I'd want anybody else but you to touch me this intimately!" The witch chuckled offering Apple a small smile. "It's alright now, I love you, you love me, and I'm not going to let anything tear me away from you either, we will defeat the evil power and we will survive this, so stop worrying so much and kiss me already!" The witch demanded tugging at the front of the princess's white quilted jacket.

"We probably should've been already doing that a few minutes earlier." Apple muttered her lips barely brushing against Raven's, her eyes drooping lazily. "I guess we'll have to make up for lost time." The princess slid one hand back up to cradle Raven's head and sealed their lips together.

The air rippled around the two, their combined magic stretched and grew shooting up as a column of light that seemed to touch the sky.

XXX

Blondie looked up from her mirrorpad her eyes catching on the column of light in the sky.

"Oh my, what do you suppose is happening over there?" Hopper spoke from his perch on the reporter's shoulder.

Blondie smiled looking down at Earl Grey and Nevermore huddling together beside her lap on the large rock they all were sitting on, as the two perked up in recognition to the new magic, no doubt the two could sense it in the air.

"Something good." The reporter told her amphibian friend with a grin.

"I've felt this magic before…" Duchess mumbled; she lay curled up next to Blondie on a medical pallet that she had smuggled with her when she snuck out of the medical tent. "'S Raven's… I think, Faybelle's magic is blue so it can't be hers."

Edward clicked above them; he swayed worriedly in the tree he had claimed since they had gotten there.

Duchess snorted. "He's worried about that cheery morbid Rebel… Tiffany I think her name is." Duchess whispered conspiratorially to Blondie. "Hey bug boy! Don't worry so much, if there's anyone who will end up surviving this thing it's gonna be your girlfriend, now will you quit swaying that branch around? I don't want it to break and fall on me!"

Edward blushed, but stilled his movements and clicked back sounding a little thankful.

Duchess snorted again turning over. "You better believe it bub!" The girl replied back.

Blondie jumped when a new voice, _finally_, spoke up from her mirrorpad. "Ever After medical unit? Ever After medical unit, this is High General Bane Queen. Please respond!"

Hopper let out a croak in relief and Blondie cheered.

"Ever After medical unit responding, this is Blondie Lockes speaking. High General you have no idea how happy we are to hear your voice!" Blondie grinned widely at the woman's face as she popped up on screen. The reporter blinked in surprise to see that the woman she was speaking to looked a little like Raven, only darker skinned, older, with an eye patch (which had what looked like a witch's army unit insignia printed on it), and white streaks in her (very) short black hair.

The witch smiled kindly. "We are happy to hear from you too Miss Blondie Lockes. If you would please get everyone ready for a quick evacuation we'd really appreciate that."

"I'll get you online with my mirror blog and I'll notify Healer Phalange, she's the adult in charge here, just have someone give us the guidelines for evacuation and we should be set by the time you get here." Blondie spoke now all business.

"We can do that." The High General nodded. "You kids just hang tight a little bit longer until we can get to you."

Blondie let out a breathless laugh, looking happy about something for the first time that afternoon. "We can do that." The blonde nodded back, already making her way to the medical tent.

XXX

"Hunter, do you read me?" Ashlynn's voice asked through the boy's phone.

"Loud and clear sweetie." Hunter picked up his phone and smiled at his girlfriend.

Ashlynn nodded smiling back. "The Grand Coven is sending out small glider ships to start picking people up from the safe location within the next few minutes, and after they've come close enough they will be sending an air team out to our location to disassemble the golems and cart us out of here. They plan on surrounding the campus grounds and deploying their best black-cloak operatives to the ground, but before they reach you guys they want you to try to get as many people out of the area as possible and fly them up to their emergency rescue air-ships, so on my mark order everybody to evacuate and listen closely to their phones for directions into an available ship." The girl informed the boy.

"And the people we've got trapped in Wonderland?" Hunter asked eyeing the geyser where he had seen Tiffany, Ceadar, and Faybelle disappear into; absently he patted the head of a now rider-less dragon that was currently flying worriedly beside her littermate. "And what do we do if Raven and Apple aren't finished with whatever they are doing?"

Below him on the ground the boy noticed that the mentioned two girls were now no longer visible, the bright light surrounding them having obscured their forms completely.

Ashlynn tilted her head out of screen for a moment speaking quickly to someone.

"The Royal Wonderlandian Army of Hearts has caught visual on our people and are now currently helping them out, it seems that Cedar is trying to fight the Evil Queen's magic and the curse by growing massive versions of Bleeding Rebel Hearts up into whatever that thing is that's coming through the portal." Ashlynn reported back. "And as for Raven and Apple, the Grand Coven plans to send their people out to guard them until whatever they're doing is done."

"Sounds good to me." Hunter nodded turning to the unmanned dragon and giving her a whistle-click while pointing down to the ground. "Daring I'm sending Fluffy down to you, whoever doesn't have an assigned dragon or if everyone has the limit of four people per dragon please pick them up and fly them out on her." The boy spoke to his phone.

"No problem." Daring said, helping his sister up from the ground looking to the column of light with slight worry.

"Is it just me or is that thing growing?" Cerise asked pointing to the light while backing her and Briar up.

"It is." Briar confirmed. "Everybody pull back and give those two lovebirds room to work!"

XXX

"Clawstorm?" Elenore asked concerned as her daughter convulsed and shrieked on the ground in pain, dark veins spread under her pale skin and her flesh actually started to crack in places as if the woman were made of porcelain.

"Clawstorm, expel that from your body at once!" Elenore ordered floating above the other witch, her glowing hands reached for her daughter's chest and head, trying to worm her power into the other in order to rip the curse from the younger's body.

Clawstorm whimpered, tears streaming down her face as it crumpled in pain, the soothing touch of her mother's magic offering just enough relief for the younger woman to regain control over her senses as she tried to figure out what was wrong.

There was something… on the other side of the portal… in Wonderland. Something that was actively fighting her, corrupting the curse before it traveled through the portal and into her.

"No…" The prone woman whined, her body felt tired and achy all over.

The Evil Queen cracked open her eyes, her vision kept un-focusing and the light from behind the castle hurt her eyes, her mother's face hovered close to hers, looking concerned, the older woman was speaking but the Evil Queen could barely hear a murmur over the sound of her heart beating and the ringing in her ears.

"…Mom?" It took a moment for her brain to comprehend much of anything, _Clawstorm_ was tempted to just let her mother soothe away the hurt and watch how the pretty light cast the building and the clouds in warm tones and dramatic shadows.

The Evil Queen mentally slapped herself back into reality.

"No…" The Evil Queen could barely hear her own voice. "_No."_ She struggled under her mother's touch, eyes widening as she realized what the light meant.

"NO!" She screamed throwing Elenore off and collecting as much power as she could manage into her hands and slapped her palms flat onto the ground.

Magic crackled and sparked heating the air around the Evil Queen before a percussion of air and dirt flew outwards.

Milton Grimm took his chance when Lizzie Hearts released his arm in favor of sticking her arms up in defense; he ran to Elenore and shielded them both from the blast wave using a small academic magic shield to divert the shockwave around them.

"_Ears, Mouth, and Eyes,_ _damn this_." Lizzie cursed slicing at the edge of the magic circle the Evil Queen had just summoned. The woman inside flinching with every blow but keeping up her resistance as dark power cracked like lightning to the sky.

XXX

A loud crack of dark magic shot to the sky from the other side of the castle, swirling as a darkening greenish blue shadowy vapor over the top of the structure. It clashed violently into the side of the column of light.

Streaks of white magic started to seep into the shadowy cloud; dark bolts of magic appeared, attempting to fight the lighter magic off.

"We need backup!" Ginger's voice begged through the multiple phones in people's hands.

"I'm on it!" Cupid volunteered flying up and taking aim at the swirling mass of dark magic (it was big enough that it would be difficult to miss the damn thing) and firing.

Small explosions of purple magic lit up from where Cupid's arrows hit, white magic burrowing into the spaces created.

"Incoming! Hot tea attack!" Maddie's voice sounded from above. Out of the corner of her eye Cupid could see that Maddie and Kitty had commandeered Fluffy the dragon and had flown themselves high above the curse, Hunter following beside them.

Maddie bent her tea into the cursed cloud, carving a path for the white magic to gain ground, while Kitty and Hunter were throwing things that she could grab out of her girlfriend's hat and onto the growing curse-cloud, pocking the thing with holes, small explosions surrounded the disc shape of their target.

She hoped that Raven and Apple were doing all right.

XXX

Apple sighed through her nose happily as she attempted to deepen her kiss with Raven, the witch hung onto her like she had been drowning and Apple was her life preserver.

"Ah- um." Raven gasped when the two released for breath "I- is… mmm." The witch closed her eyes, trying to keep her focus when the princess lavished attention to her neck. "Isn't just _a_ kiss usually enough in these situations?" Raven squeaked when the other's hand gave a southern region of her body a squeeze. She self-consciously peeked over to where she last saw their friends only to let out a relieved breath when she saw that a wall of white surrounding them blocked her view, meaning that no one from the outside was able to spy on their private moment.

"That's to wake a princess up." Apple mouthed into her skin as her lips traveled up to Raven's ear. "To defeat an Evil Queen it's going to take more than one little chaste kiss." The princess giggled, nibbling Raven's ear and making the witch gasp and shudder in her arms. "Not that I'm complaining of course."

"Ngh- h-how much farther are we g- ah! Going t-ooo g-go?" Raven managed past the sensations two inquisitive hands were giving her as they roamed freely.

"Tell me if I'm hurting you." Apple chose to bypass the question. "I'm trying to be as gentle as I can with your wounds."

"Mmmmn… nothing hurts." Raven buried her flushed face into Apple's neck. "Actually I feel no pain at all."

Apple's brows furrowed at that, pulling Raven into another deep kiss to distract the witch from her fingers as they set to work unclasping the clothing pins holding the girl's shirt together.

Raven moved her head back, giving Apple more room to works as the princess trailed her lips down.

Apple hummed thoughtfully as her eyes trailed thin healed red lines of newly healed scars littering her current window of vision.

"Tell me…" Apple mouthed as she kissed her way back up to Raven's mouth, hands ridding themselves of gloves as she traveled. "How does it feel when I-"

"Gah!" Cried Raven throwing her head back further. "You were so shy about this kind of stuff the last time we talked!" The witch whined, twitching when the princess started pawing at her clothes. "What happened to change that in the span of a few short days?"

"They weren't short to me!" Apple growled pulling the witch's waist flush with hers and giving Raven another kiss.

"You weren't there to assure me that you didn't try to move on to someone else, then Faybelle started bragging about how she'd be a better mate for you, and then I got to reading all of this stuff about girls from Cupid… which come to think of it, at the time I had trouble getting through the material without having to cover my eyes it was so embarrassing… but now that you are here… and I can touch you like this…" Raven squeaked as a hand trespassed under her bra, the princess hummed, thinking for a moment more as her hand explored the skin under her fingers. "You know I can't seem to remember why I had been so scandalized in the first place."

Raven gaped before screwing her eyes shut and shaking her head. "I'll have to compute your change in attitude later." The witch grumbled. "Now tell me why you are the one being so hands-y and not giving me a chance to return the favor." The witch tried to lean in for a kiss only to pout when the princess giggled and kissed her cheek before moving to suckle the witch's ear.

"H-hey!" Raven complained.

"You saved me from a poisoned apple, and now it's my turn to save you from the evil curse trying to take over your body." Apple reasoned, her palms running up and down Raven's bared sides.

"…Fine." Raven huffed shivering under the other's ministrations. "I guess that makes sense."

The two jolted when they sensed something from the outside trying to claw it's way into the space that they were in, their magic thrummed and increased in response lifting the two girls off the ground.

Raven yelped at the sudden loss of gravity. "Are we floating?" She asked out of reflex more than actually needing to have someone else confirm it. She looked down her eyes widening. "Apple your clothes!"

The princess looked down between them, noticing that the resulting increase of magic was causing the cloth of her and Raven's clothing to unravel and fly away.

The princess shook herself of any shock or lingering embarrassment, she had more important things to think about. "Makes it easier like this than having to stand up and be clothed the whole time." Apple mumbled sending a thought-glare to whatever was (still) trying to interrupt them while eyeing Raven's scarred body possessively.

Raven caught Apple's eye, her entire body blushing when she caught sight of the look in them, there was the new cool dominant gleam of a queen merged with the familiar warm sparkle of a very happy princess.

"Shouldn't we be getting back to more important things?" Apple teased cradling Raven's face and leaning close.

Raven stuttered out a sigh and met Apple in the middle with the first of a new series of kisses.


	28. The one with the miracle pt5

Author's note (this finale is taking longer than expected):

All righty, so this whole ending thing is turning out longer than expected. "_Sighs dramatically_" well at least nothing is being rushed and I can cram in all of this dramatic emotion… and I am tying up as many loose ends as I can find (though I keep having to go back and reread over all of my previous chapters to make sure I haven't missed anything).

An issue I have run into is whether or not I should go with the ending I had always envisioned in my head when I first started this thing. I became hesitant because… well it is kinda wild and out there, although it would provide an excellent twist and would put more interesting plot stuff for Apple and Raven's relationship/future, and it would tie up the nagging loose end of where all of this raw power for the curse would go, because, yes, I am that kind of nick-picky geek who asks those kind of questions I mean, the Wonderland movie was… nice and all, but you have an ultra powerful curse set to genocide an entire world and… it only takes a few words and Raven signing the Book (which I find myself a little disappointed about) and its… gone? Nah. For the actual show it's fine but it's not gonna happen in my story (btw raise of hands for those who felt the need to take a shower after when they reveal in the movie that the Evil Queen had been obsessively stalking her daughter through all the mirrors. I know I did, and I also had to suppress the urge to cover all of the mirrors in my house. The woman in cannon is sick in the head, sick I say!).

But again it's pretty wild and… not something I would ever think that I'd end up writing for a work that had taken this long to finish… and normally when I come across this plot point myself I usually (but not always because there are stories with this out there that actually I really like) find myself groaning with dread.

Back on track, I was worried about going through with my original ending idea when I took a glance at the word count for this story, 241,169 as of last chapter, then I took out a calculator and divided it by 250 which is the number of words for one page, double spaced…

Over nine hundred pages.

I had written nine hundred, double spaced, cambria (body) font, twelve point, pages of a story that had originally just started out as a means for me to practice my writing abilities for school… and was supposed to be about three chapters long.

Fuck this shit about being worried about whether or not I'm going too far with this ending, I've passed the going too far line six hundred pages ago! I've already succumbed this much effort into this fanfiction madness I might as well go all the way!

(I still miss being able to post long chapters) I hope that you guys enjoy the next few chapters 'cause I've just broken my mind a little with the numbers and I'm just gonna keep posting stuff until I am done! Done with this nine hundred-page beast! And I refuse to let it take its sweet time getting completed any longer because I am finishing this!

P.s. Thank you for the reviews I adore them.

(Laughs insanely and starts typing like a mad-person)

XXX

The one with the miracle pt.5

XXX

Cupid released a relieved breath when she saw that more students riding on the backs of dragons were now joining in the fight as well, the winged girl had run out of arrows and was now forced to pull out the strange sword that Lady Elenore had told her to strap onto her belt.

Cupid was wholly unprepared for the sheer force that one experimental swing at the underside of the curse would bring.

Mid-swipe Cupid felt a thrum of power shoot through her body, the blade lit up in a bright pink glow and as the blade swished down (partly due to her shock) a thin line of magic detached from the blade and sliced the curse-cloud clean in half.

Eyes wide, hair standing on end, Cupid looked down at the weapon in her grip, her body thrumming with its power.

The attacking group of students fell silent for a stunned moment.

"Try attacking the main source of this thing!" Hunter ordered once he found his voice, he pointed down to where the Evil Queen was building up even more energy to throw at them.

"R-right! On it!" Cupid saluted before flying down, slicing at the Evil Queen as she got nearer.

The Evil Queen hissed trying to both block the attacks and fire back at the winged girl, eventually having to take to the air herself in order to avoid the oncoming attacks, her body could not take anymore direct hits.

"Foolish child, I am a descendant of the Lady of the Lake!" The Evil Queen spat. "Excalibur will do no harm to me!"

The witch smirked as she spied an opening in the girl's defenses, sending a tendril of her power out to rip the sword out of Blondie's hands mid-swing, hissing slightly as a little bit of the treated water still on the girl's skin cause her magic to burn away slightly.

"Hey!" Cupid growled clutching her stinging hand.

Elenore's eyes widened, she stood up from her crouched position, taking Milton with her. "Clawstorm let go of the sword! It's been purified to fight the curse!" The woman pled.

The Evil Queen paused in her moment where she was victoriously admiring the sword in her hands to look down to her mother.

"Huh?" The Evil Queen blinked not comprehending.

Elenore bared her teeth and growled. "Put it down before it has the chance to taste the curse in your-"

The sword made a warning humming sound, lighting up in purple magic, causing the Evil Queen to release her hold on it with a pained shout.

The sword flew on it's own through the air, circling around before it ran at the Evil Queen.

"Ah!" The Evil Queen cried just missing having her right arm sliced off by inches, the blade only managing to slice a shallow cut into the woman's flesh.

The Evil Queen went from stunned silence to shrieking when the cut started to burn and the skin around it began to blacken and crack.

"Humphrey, Dexter, I need you guys to prepare to send a concentrated mass of curses at my signal to the following location…" Cupid could hear Hunter mutter into his phone as she flew up to get out of the way.

"**_STOP!_**" The Evil Queen commanded the attacking sword, but it was to no avail as the object rounded on her again forcing the woman to dodge and turn tail to evade as it chased her through the air.

"Damn it _stay away_!" The Evil Queen hissed now throwing magical attacks at her assailant left and right.

The sword seemed to be stunned by the first few of the Evil Queen's attacks but they did not appear to even put a scratch on it, and then it seemed to catch on somehow, learning how to evade or slice through each new series of hits the Evil Queen threw it's way.

"How is it managing to do that?" Milton asked the universe at large, once again having to duck himself and Elenore down as witch and sword flew by a little too close for comfort. "I've never seen an enchantment like that before."

Elenore squinted, trying to analyze the fast moving object chasing after her daughter. "If that thing truly is _the_ Excalibur then that means it has some level of inherited sentience along with a high golem level intelligence. If the stories I had been told as a witchling are correct, an imprint of personality left over from its original master ingrained itself into the very fabric of the sword's material, and since King Arthur had a famously horrid experience with Morgana's curse the first time around, and our daughter has allowed the curse directly into her body…"

"It now sees Clawstorm as a threat instead of a… potential master?" Milton mumbled his brows rising.

Elenore made a so-so gesture with her hand. "For the sword part yes but for the old king's half of the personality it sees her as a threat to the last member of his family, the sword has the ability to recognize Raven through her blood as the youngest legitimate heir to his family, despite the fact Arthur and his son, Mordred, never actually _liked_ each other even a little bit, the sword has spent the better part of Raven's life dissolved in her bloodstream, it would know the true nature of her heart by now and… apparently it has deemed Raven someone who is worth protecting against this version of his sister's curse." The woman explained wincing as her daughter let forth another howl of pain from a glancing hit. "And I hardly think that it is very appreciative of almost being consumed and turned into a weapon of mass destruction _by_ said curse…"

"We- is there nothing that we can do?" Milton asks sounding desperate. "If- we… if we can just…"

"I'm afraid that the only thing that we can do now is make certain that she cannot continue to harm herself or anyone else." Elenore murmured taking Milton's free hand in her own. "We have _tried_ Milton, we have done everything within our power to protect her." Elenore sighed tiredly her rapid blinking eyes and the sorrowful tone in her voice telling the man that she'd be crying by now if she were still alive. "It's too late my love, I'm afraid that even if she manages to put Excalibur off her tail… she will still die; while I had the chance to reach my power into her heart to attempt to rip the curse out I… it has been inside of her too long… she has lost control over it… the curse has taken root deep into her core, where I could not reach… she is dying Milton, her madness has finally claimed her life."

"No…" Milton shook his head, not willing to believe his ears. "She created the curse it can't-"

"She created the curse for _Raven_." Elenore emphasized. "If she had created the curse for herself then she would have lost control over it and it would have defeated the whole purpose of her plan to be in complete control of the people around her. There is just no way around it I-… our daughter is going to…" The woman could not finish.

Milton hung his head gathering Elenore up in his arms as the two watched powerlessly what unfolded above them.

"_Get away from me you little_-" The Evil Queen snarled now trying for a longer, concentrated attack.

"Ready on your order." Humphrey informed Hunter.

Hunter looked around him, at the terrified and tired faces of his friends then down at the Evil Queen, the one responsible for so much terror and heartache…

…And now she was the one who was running away in terror, fear and desperation etched onto her face as she fought for her life.

He hesitated, she was evil, a horrible creature, yet… she was still a_ living_ creature… and he was… not a soldier… but if he didn't do this then…

He broke out of his internal wrestling of conscience and looked up when someone flew to a stop next to him, he nearly startled at the look of complete seriousness etched into Maddie's face.

"Let me make that order." The girl murmured gently extending her hand.

Wordlessly Hunter placed his phone into Maddie's palm.

Maddie watched the Evil Queen with hard calculating eyes; Hunter could sense that she was waiting for just the right moment.

"She is almost in optimal position. Be prepared with everything you've got in three… two… one- now! Fire at will!" The girl ordered sounding eerily steady; her tone laced with a malice that Hunter guessed with a shiver had been building up for _years_.

The Evil Queen didn't even see the blast coming before she was hit from all sides.

Most of the people watching flinched at the agonizing scream that ripped through the air. Some turned their heads away and covered their ears from the sight and sound.

They were just teenagers, Hunter thought with a pang of frustration and sadness, still far too young for this kind of fight, it should have never come to this point, _they_ shouldn't have had to rise up and fight and make these kind of life or death decisions!

Ever After High was supposed to be a specialized school that protected them while they learned their craft and the ways of the world; they were the future rulers, guardians, fairytale characters…

Yet here they were, risking their lives all because of one horrendously stupid decision too many… because of the freaking propriety of that useless Book and the traditionalist ideals to become people who were long dead and buried in their graves, overshadowed common sense and the needs of the future generation, overshadowed _their_ _lives_. They could have just as easily died because of this, could still die if they weren't careful.

Hunter inhaled running a mental check, Blondie had said that most people were accounted for, but then they didn't have the time to draw up a complete list of students, faculty… staff…

Mrs. Trollsworth hadn't shown up as far as he could remember, the lady seemed to practically live in the Headmaster's chambers…

What if… surely the Headmaster wouldn't be so naïve as to put someone that dangerous so close to his office…?

…The same foolish Headmaster who had hidden the imprisoned Evil Queen on a High School campus, full of children, full of innocent people who could not defend themselves.

Hunter put his head in his hands; by this point he noticed that the Evil Queen had screamed herself hoarse. It was beyond unfair; this whole situation was downright cruel, for everyone.

"It's not over yet." Kitty muttered into Maddie's ear.

Maddie looked down as she was poking the boy beside her in the arm, trying to return Hunter's phone to him. "Indeed you are correct my beloved mate, it would seem that it will not be_ I_ to deliver the final death blow."

"What are you two talking about?" Cupid asked them.

"They mean that Excalibur now has the perfect opening it's been waiting for." Lizzie's voice observed through Hunter's phone.

Hunter inhaled sharply, taking the phone out of Maddie's hands and warily looked up.

Everyone who was observing the scene eyes widened when the sword that had been circling the screaming Evil Queen suddenly stopped, spinning slowly in the air as if taking aim before shooting forward without warning just when the attack from the school's communications finished and the Evil Queen began to fall.

The sword ran through the woman's chest, the force was enough push her body high into the air, the weapon then turned it's blade down letting the limp body slide off and fall several feet before running through the woman again, this time pushing her out of sight into the trees.

"Clawstorm!" The fallen woman's parents cried out both man and witch racing towards the tree line, soon followed by Giles, and Lizzie.

"Ginger, and everyone else stay back and wait!" Lizzie commanded through the phone. "If we need assistance I will scream for you!"

XXX

"Hey check it out!" Sparrow directed everyone's eyes to unglue themselves from the mass of mirrorphones to the world outside of their protective circle.

Ashelynn blinked. "The golems…" She murmured in shock as the frozen creatures all around them started breaking apart and falling harmlessly to the ground as piles of harmless raw materials.

"Do you think that she's-" Dexter began but stopped at Ashlynn's firm shake of her head.

"Let's not get our hopes up so soon… but I will admit, this definitely put's a load off of my mind." The princess stated cautiously. "Briar, how are things over by you?"

XXX

"Quiet, apart from the giant laser light pointing at the sky growing increasingly bigger around its circumference." Briar informed eyeing said magical column distrustfully.

"What have they been _doing_ in there for so long?" Darling asks. "I get that it takes True Love's kiss to cure curses but… shouldn't more be happening? Not that I can't see that something is happening, it's just that I had thought that there would be at least an explosion… or something."

"Careful what you wish for…" Someone to the side of the girl-knight whimpered, not looking as keen to the prospect of any more surprise excitements.

Daring hummed thoughtful. "Well… this is a bit more powerful then a simple sleeping or transformation spell… it will take more than one kiss to defeat this, along with loving gestures and things of that sort. I'm sure that Apple, being trained as a fairytale princess, will be able to think of things to improvise with."

"I think that she's improvising alright…" Briar gave the light in front of them a dry look.

The prince blinked in confusion for a few seconds before suddenly seeming to catch on to the mage-princess's meaning.

"Surely they wouldn't go that far!" The boy sputtered his eyes wide. "Apple is an example among the perfect conduct of princesses… and far too… uninformed about such matters… and Raven, I have grown to discover, is incredibly timid when it comes to too much touching… well that and she's _the most_ cautious person, when it comes to the matters of the heart, that I have ever met! …Not that anything further than kissing would be possible anyway, what with Raven's injuries."

"You are forgetting that Raven has just come out of a _craptastic_ life or death scare-a-thon." Cerise raises one brow pointedly at the boy from under her hood. "People are more willing to be coaxed into reaching second, third, _and_ a homerun bases so that they can reassure themselves that they're, ya know,_ alive_ and love is a good feeling to feel after being so scared for so long."

Briar rested her chin on Cerise's shoulder, directing her dry look to the prince. "And Apple isn't nearly as "misinformed" or the perfect picture of the innocent little princess now, she's good at pretending, but I have it on good authority that once she discovered her own feelings for Raven she's… done her research. And Apple has never shied away from going after something that she really wants, since she's been going for days believing that the current thing that she really wants would be taken away from her… let's just say I wouldn't be at all surprised if she's establishing claim on Raven as her Queen, wife, _and_ lover." The mage-princess informed the boy, shrugging her shoulders. She had to bite back a snicker at the wide-eyed look that crossed his face.

The wind picked up, a loud whine of energy increasing in power resonated through the air, interrupting all conversation.

"This has been the eye before the rest of the storm." Cerise warned, dropping her hood, her ears perked in high alert. "I can sense it, something's about to happen."

"It had better." Briar griped. "The parts of the curse still lingering in the air is making my toes itch and all this waiting is putting me on edge!"

"I agree with Briar and Darling." Charlotte spoke as she inspected Daring's arm, she had come along because she could be useful as a field medic and she knew how to conjure a pretty mean long-range magical attack, which she had put to use on the battlefield, with extreme prejudice.

The witch frowned as she poked the blackened skin and the boy didn't even flinch. "I'd feel better when this is all settled and we are on one of those air-ships so that I can start acting like a good junior healer by taking proper care of the most critically injured. Preferably starting with this one, are you sure you can't feel this?" She asked Daring, pinching a spot of un-blistered skin, hard.

"Not… really?" Daring blinked in concentration.

"How much is "_not really_" on a scale of one to ten, ten being unbearably painful." The witch pressed.

"Zero…?" Daring shifted nervously.

"Alright, hold still boy, it won't hurt to spray you with this antibiotic stuff I brought, poured quite a bit of that special serum into the bottle and jammed in some plant petals just to be safe. Tell me if you feel anything." Charlotte held up the boy's limp arm and began spritzing, the skin sparking and making popping noises, not unlike the sound of bacon being cooked on a skillet.

"_Ow_, it_ stings_!" Daring cried trying to wrench himself away from the smaller girl's (surprisingly) strong grip.

"_Good_, feeling something means that we won't have to amputate." Charlotte smiled sounding pleased.

"What is with witches and this talk about amputating my arm?" The boy complained displeased.

"Have you seen your arm lately?" Charlotte asked dryly as she began wrapping the appendage in gauze.

"Maybe we should step back a little further, it looks like something's about to happen." Darling proposed, seeing the streaks of white magic growing and spreading with increasing speed.

"That might be a good idea." Briar acknowledged. "Come on, everybody back, try not to trip on the dead golems as you go."

XXX

"You feel that?" Raven asked clutching onto Apple.

"I'm feeling something more important right-"

"_EEP!_ I'm serious! And didn't I just tell you that this isn't the place to be going _that_ far?" Raven admonished. "Where did the girl who was dead set on touching anybody like- _ah_? _Hey!_ Like _that_! Where did she go?" The witch demanded pointedly moving the princess's hand back to the outside of her thigh.

"Since being the princess so concerned about what was proper never worked with matters where you were concerned." Apple grumbled; a hint of pain crossed her features as she thought of the past, of how Raven could have died, of how she had almost let Raven walk out of Apple's life forever. "I nearly lost you- twice- because of that, so now I'm trying to be the queen that's not afraid to seek out the one she wants the most in the world and a princess who is willing prove that I have no intention of letting you go again."

"I'm sorry that I put you through that." Raven spoke quietly looking away guiltily.

"Part of the blame still lies with me." Apple sighed kissing the corner of Raven's eye. "I mean I wasn't hexactly giving you much reason to trust that I wouldn't go completely ballistic if I had found out the truth."

The princess tilted Raven's face up so that they were looking one another in the eye. "None of that matters now, you are here, you are safe, and you are with me."

A look crossed the princess's face that seemed to be two parts wonder, one part wide-eyed interest. "I can't put my finger on why exactly but right now I feel like I'm on top of the world! I… I can't stop touching you, I don't want to stop touching you, I finally have you safe in my arms and, curiously, for once I have no embarrassment over my urge to explore every inch of you."

Raven's face blushed to the point where she was almost glowing red (Apple found herself enjoying the sight, the ability to make the defiant Rebel leader turn that shade of color and bring about that adorable shy-yet-hopelessly-charmed look on the witch's face.

"Yes… well… maybe we should hold off going _that_ far, unless we end up absolutely needing to, until we are far away from the battlefield? And someplace where we aren't running the danger of being… observed… and besides…"

"You were feeling something weird." Apple nods caressing Raven's face with her fingers. "Tell me." The princess orders kindly.

Raven guided one of Apple's hands to rest on her scarred stomach. "This… purified power… it's… it feels like it's all curling up inside of here… it feels like- this is so overwhelming I'm kind of… well… I'm a little bit…"

"Shh, hey there is no need to be scared, not while I'm here." The princess cooed holding the witch tenderly. "Let's see if we can fix that with another kiss yes?"

The witch smiled a little and let out a breathless giggle. "Ok… hey Apple?" Raven whispered.

"Yes?" Apple murmured pulling back to look Raven in the eye.

"I'm really happy that you are here with me, like this, right now." The witch admitted tangling her fingers in soft blonde hair.

The princess chuckled. "I love you too Raven. Now let's conjure up a miracle and win this shall we?" She smiled leaning in.

The moment their lips met the two embracing figures were enveloped with even more white magic, growing more and more intense until the two were swallowed up completely.


	29. The one with death and explosions

The one with death and explosions

XXX

With a percussion of sound and air the column of light bowed out around its center, pulling in the dark magic of the curse-cloud and engulfing it in light, the magic gathering itself up to form a giant sphere.

The edge pushed against the wall of water leading to Wonderland, forcing the liquid to bow inward.

"Everyone get behind me!" Charlotte yelled throwing up her magic to shield those behind her. "And can I get some-?"

Briar and the few witches and fairies present complied before she even had a chance to finish, throwing their own magics into the shield until all the non-magic-users were covered.

"Everybody get down!" Briar ordered, no one having trouble complying.

The roaring cry of the release of a great deal of magic through the portal was enough to shake the teens to the point where even those who could not wield magic could feel the rumble of power in their bones.

XXX

"Everyone, group up and head to the lawn behind us, get some distance from that thing and lets head to the ground on the other side of the building, get out of the way!" Hunter ordered; the dragons had no qualms following orders at the very least. "Anybody who can wield magic, raise a shield! Ginger, if you aren't busy we could really use you right now!"

Ginger who had been waiting on standby for the rest of her group in the woods immediately took to the air on the back of her dragon. "On my way!"

She reached them just in the nick of time to add her magic to the growing shield as everyone who could not wield magic settled on the ground and took cover.

Hunter flinched and tensed at the loud sound of… something going off, his heart beating in his throat.

XXX

Her eyes were open but she could not see anything, her vision was nothing but a blur of dim waves of light and dark patches increasingly growing to blind her of the little light she could see.

She tried to move, but even an action as simple as raising a hand she found to be exceedingly difficult, it was as if her body was on strike, her limbs felt heavy where they lay haphazardly somewhere in the vicinity of her side and head. Her face felt hot with fever, which was odd because her belly and chest felt… icy cold, almost seeming to spread outward cooling her bones in chill.

It was just as well she figured, she felt her eyelids droop heavily and she truly craved to allow to be pulled into slumber… but she could not do that. She still had things to do, she had to get away from this nightmare and… and…

With great effort she managed to blindly move her arms and slowly attempted to drag her dead weighted body back. She still had things to do, she could not rest now she-

"Clawstorm. Clawstorm darling you should be saving your strength." A woman's voice warm and familiar invaded her mind.

"C-can't I must… protect… someone… the nightmare 't's n't ov…er. I must pro…tect…" She tried to speak but it was getting so difficult to remember, what had she been doing that was so important?

"Hush now little one, the nightmare you speak of was just that; it's… it's over now my little Clawstorm, you are fine now, it was just a bad dream." The voice Clawstorm recognized as her mother's cooed softly, gentle fingers, she could barely feel brushed against her face lovingly.

"I… do not… feel well. Am I… sick?" Clawstorm managed to get the words passed her heavy tongue.

"Very much so I'm afraid, you've given us quite the scare little one." Her mother's voice replied her voice thick with emotion.

"Us? Is… uncle Giles here too?" Clawstorm perked up a little bit, hoping that the man she knew to be her biological uncle was indeed there. He was an odd fellow but he always treated her well, just like any ordinary uncle would she supposed.

"Yes Giles… and you father are both here." Her mother informed her, sounding hesitant.

Clawstorm could feel a bright smile spread across her face. "Father's here? Where is he? I can't see anything!" She whined turning her head from side to side as if trying to shake off the darkness now completely blocking her vision.

"I…" A man's voice spoke up, clearing his throat before trying again. "I am here… my… my daughter."

"Father!" Clawstorm cheered trying desperately to stave off the touch of slumber weakening her hold on the world. "'M sorry for making you and mum and uncle Giles worry."

"D-don't worry about it my dear." Her father's deep voice instructed her gravely, there was a warm light touch surrounding her hand but the chill soon spread and she could feel nothing there.

"Tell me a story?" Clawstorm requested struggling to keep her slipping focus on the people around her bedside, for if the nightmare had just been a bad dream and the Evil Queen just a mean joke her mind had played on her then that meant that all the hurt wasn't real either. She was Clawstorm, a witchling surrounded by odd people for family but they were her family and they loved her as she did them.

"A story?" Her father sounded perplexed.

"I'll stay awake for it! Promise!" The little girl smiled up in the direction of her father's voice pleadingly, even as her grip on the waking world weakened and the chill spread to her fever-heated face, cooling it with rapid speed.

"A-alright… I will tell you a story. I will tell you lots of stories." Her father promised making Clawstorm grin happily even as her mind slipped and her thoughts vanished like smoke.

"Clawstorm?" Milton asked holding his daughter's cold and blackened hand. "Clawstorm?" He tried again searching the sightless eyes so similar to his own, that had looked so clear and… and _bright_ just a moment ago.

"She's gone." Elenore pronounced closing her daughter's eyes for the final time and lying down beside her child. "She's long gone… and very soon… so shall I." The elder witch whispered her voice thick with emotion and tears that she could no longer shed.

With little else he could do Milton hung his head and cried for the both of them, bent over the fading ghost of the woman he loved more than anything in the world and the broken, gutted, and blackened form of the daughter he never realized was his, the little girl he had forsaken all because he lay all of the hurt of his broken, jealous heart solely upon her shoulders.

Giles and Lizzie Hearts watched on, the teen looking down at the picture she had just taken, a proof of death that her mother, and her friends would want to see.

Lizzie wondered if she should step back as quietly as she could to un-mute her phone and proclaim the news… or whether she should clean off the strange powerful sword (that she had to wrestle away from it's constant stabbing spree of the Evil Queen and securely tie it to her hip so that it wouldn't tug itself away to continue the assault), of said woman's blood first, before sneaking off to report the news…

Lizzie watched the Headmaster weep openly, saw Giles wiping madly at his eyes and tried to stave off the feelings of sympathy for this broken family, pity was fine, but _sympathy_ was a dangerous emotion to feel. Sympathy made her want to hide this monstrous woman's body away for the sake of allowing some peace to come to the same man who had put them all in danger, instead of merely feeling some pity for the man before marching her mother's army right to the body so that it could be paraded around Wonderlandian city streets for all to see and make a mockery out of-

So that she could finally feel satisfied vengeance for the death of her sweet, dearest Lenna…

The same Lenna who was kind to everyone she met, Lenna who was always far too forgiving and selfless for her own good sometimes…

Lenna, who had loved her, not just as a future harem wife but… as a friend and childhood sweetheart.

Lenna… if she were here she'd feel sympathy for this man, the Headmaster who was to blame for that day's events and possibly for this whole situation… she'd forgive him, as she had always been prone to do, even to the biggest fools in the kingdom. Lizzie could almost hear Lenna's voice, feel her touch as she clung to her arm and turned those wide, beautiful brown eyes to her and beg Lizzie to show some mercy on this old fool.

Lenna had always had the knack of quelling Lizzie's most violent rages, something that no other as of yet had to come close to accomplishing.

Lizzie's train of thought and the inner, imaginary, dialogue from a girl long dead, was interrupted by a sound so loud she shook with the force of it, and a light so bright it lit up everything, coming from behind the school.


	30. The one with a surprise at the end

Author's note (finished! Finally!):

Epilogue and many, many (due to all of the various plots in this thing) spin off (smaller, much smaller) side stories to look forward to!

Thanks for the reviews! I hope you enjoy the surprise!

XXX

The one with a surprise at the end

XXX

Apple's first coherent thought was the realization that she was lying horizontal with her back against a textured and solid surface, and that there was someone lying on top of her, their breath ghosting softly across the skin of her shoulder and neck.

It had taken less than a second to figure that much out with her eyes closed, and only a moment to figure out that the person lying on top of her had to be Raven from the contented hum of Raven's mind brushing against hers and the witch's distinctive soft mumblings of "f've m'r min'it's" coming from the girl lying on her.

What baffled the princess was the sound of something… wailing nearby.

"Holy Ancestors almighty!" She heard Cerise's voice exclaim, followed by a whoosh and the sound of rapid footsteps.

"Can't anybody use their damn phones?" Briar's voice barked sounding stressed, here seemed to be a lot of _no's_ and _it's broken's_ answering back earning a frustrated noise from Briar. "Figures."

"Cerise can you hold her out to me. Hello little one aren't you quite the_ big_ _surprise_." Charlotte murmured, the pitch in her voice was weird… almost sounded like she was talking to a small child.

"I need someone to sterilize this with this and something to help clamp this- …how in the kingdom do you manage to stuff all of that into such a tiny purse? And do I really want to know why you carry surgical clamps with you?" Chalotte's voice turned from babying to incredulous, the wailing in the background began quieting down to mere whimpering noises.

"You probably don't want to hear the answer to either question." Briar informed distractedly as Apple felt someone put two fingers to her neck making Raven shift away with an annoyed sound.

"They're still alive!" Daring's relieved yell combined with the feel of fabric being laid on top of them made Apple jump, Raven moaned in complaint, murmuring about how she just wanted a few more minutes of sleep, making Daring chuckle wetly above them.

Apple cracked open one eye, Bleeding Rebel Hearts greeting her vision as they framed... what looked like the mouth of a water-walled cave and the familiar cheerful blue sky, tiny flowers from the plants tickling the sides of her face.

The princess looked down at the mass of dark hair trying to burrow herself further into Apple's chest, Raven was now grumbling about the noise, her hands gently caressing Apple's side, the press of the witch's mind to hers was lighter somehow, it felt… cleansed, like it had just been given a thorough bath.

Apple's eyes widened.

"Raven? Raven wake up!" Apple gently shook the girl in her arms.

Raven stirred, reluctantly cracking her eyes open and giving the world a cursory look.

Suddenly the witch's eyes snapped open. "A-Apple!" Raven squeaked almost jumping off of the princess but ended up yelping in pain and falling right back down to where she had been originally.

"Raven?" Apple asked in concern.

"Ah… it… hurts… at my… I can't get up." The witch spoke her voice thick with confusion and worry. "Where… I remember us trying to get rid of the curse… the evil magic… it's all blank sometime around there… what happened?"

"I don't know." Apple shook her head. "I remember the same thing but I'm not sure where we are or how we got here… but I _can't_ feel the curse or the evil magic inside you anymore." She spoke hoarsely to the witch lying in her arms before turning to the direction where she had heard Daring's voice, whom she guessed was currently somewhere just out of sight. "Did…" Apple licked her lips trying to force saliva to cover her dry mouth. "Did we win?" She asked tentatively, wrapping her arms protectively around Raven and holding the wide-eyed witch securely to her frame.

Daring came into view, he was smiling, but there were fresh tear tracks covering his face and his bandaged arm (what the hex happened to his arm?) hung limply at his side.

Briar also came into view, arms crossed over her chest, looking bewildered. "It sure seems like you won, the curse as far as we can see is gone, you're alive and very naked by the way… and thanks to your… _efforts_ you've won a surprise prize and… well…" The other princess peered off to the side her brows furrowed. "I could have sworn you were speaking… metaphorically with that whole "_Raven-being-pregnant_" theory thing."

"I was…" Apple said slowly, Raven turned her head so that she could cast an annoyed look at Briar.

"Stop beating around the cauldron and tell us what's-?" Raven began but was cut off by the sound of a tiny mewl.

XXX

He stayed curled up on the ground with his dragon circled protectively around him for a few moments after things turned quiet, too quiet, Hunter found himself frozen in fear that it was not the end, that they might be attacked again.

"-Hunter! Hunter, please respond!" Ashlynn's frantic voice filtered through the boy's stunned brain, causing him to release a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding and breathe in the quiet of the area around him, the silence now seeming less frightening.

He groped around his middle where he could feel the press of his phone against his ribs before holding it up to his face. "Still here sweetheart, you won't be rid of me that easily." Hunter assured with a small smirk.

"Oh thank the ancestors-…" Ashlynn covered her mouth with her hand, blinking back tears of relief. "What about the others in your group?"

"On it." Hunter grunted sitting up and peeking over the furry back of his dragon. "If you all are still in this life please sound off!" He barked trying to keep his calm, trying to trust that they were still all alive.

Multiple groans and soft curses answered him; the magic users (who had held their ground around the perimeter) relaxed their power and lowered the shield, as he looked around everyone seemed to be accounted for-

"Where did you two come from?" The huntsman demanded to one, very small, huddling figure and the crone who was levitating with her back to him, hands raised to where the shield once was.

"Zat waz a very big boom…" Rumplestiltskin muttered to himself, not moving an inch from his fetal position.

Professor Baba Yaga turned to Hunter, and the rest of the wide-eyed students, with a wicked smile and an exhilarated gleam in her eye.

"What kind of witch would I be if I had just let you students have all the fun?" She asked grinning.

She pointed down to her cowering companion her expression turning smug. "He had been reluctant at first to give me the code to unlock the safe where he had stored some explosive metals, so I brought him here and he has been nothing but cooperative ever since."

"I bet he has." Hunter nodded his head seriously; slowly turning away deciding that now would be a good time to report back to Ashlynn. "Everyone's still alive in this group- ah wait Tiffany got pulled into Wonderland with Cedar and Faybelle! Babe could you ask our friends from the other side of the portal if they've seen them?"

"We can do better than just tell you." An amused woman's voice purred (much like a cat, Hunter thought); Hunter could see Ashlynn's eyes widen, and a blush spread across her cheeks and nose, somewhere in the background Dexter yelped.

"Ashlynn?" Hunter wasn't given anymore warning before the image on his phone switched from Ashlynn's surprised face to, a little worse for wear, but very much alive, Faybelle Thorn who was sitting in what looked like a thick patch of Bleeding Rebel Hearts, with a finger twisting around the inside of her ear, as if she were attempting to clear it.

And sitting between the fairy's legs was Cedar, also very much alive… and that was the main thing that Hunter initially zeroed in on because it was very obvious that the girl was no longer an animated puppet-doll, her wooden body now replaced by one of flesh and blood.

"I did not just see that..." Hunter looked away sharply once he finally noticed that Cedar was stark naked.

"Freakin' hellish lightshow blowing my eardrums to kingdom come…" Faybelle grumbled annoyed.

"I'm a real girl!" Cedar cheered holding her arms up in awe. "I have skin covering my arms!" She lifted up one of her legs to inspect. "And I have skin on my legs! Ooh my toes wiggle! I have toes that wiggle!"

"Yeah, yeah." Faybelle huffed trying to seem indifferent; her effort was thwarted however by a small smile and a soft look in her eyes that invaded her face.

The fairy sighed internally relenting to let her mask slip a little. "Yeah… you really are a real girl, with flesh and blood and bone." Faybelle murmured placing her hands upon the other's upper arms and resting her chin on a dark skinned shoulder.

"I'm a real girl!" Cedar laughed hugging herself happily.

"A _naked_ real girl." Tiffany's voice observed; the phone turned to display the blonde sitting on the shoulder of a large red suited figure. "Pico Paco, don't forget to say hi to Ashlynn too!"

The purple coffee golem spun the phone around to face it, waving cheerfully for the camera even as Faybelle made an outraged noise in the background.

"When did your rude little pet manage to- Cedar, cover yourself up!" Faybelle nearly screeched.

"What no; gee Tiffany congrats on not getting killed?" Tiffany asked, her lighthearted teasing tone indicating that she was actually not bothered at all by the lack of response to her sudden appearance behind the fairy.

Pico Paco spun the phone around again to show all four people. Faybelle, had to hastily cover Cedar's chest with her hands, seeing as how the former wooden girl was too elated by her new body to care about modesty.

"What happened to your knee?" Faybelle asked Tiffany when she took the time to turn her head and get a good look at the blonde girl.

"Busted it up when I fell on it wrong." Tiffany sighed eyeing her knee which by this point was bruised and had swollen up to twice it's normal size, she had a suspicion that something had broken under the skin because she could not move her knee, and it hurt a lot when she tried.

"And who's that you're sitting on?" Faybelle asked again eyeing the red suit with equal parts curiosity and suspicion.

"The Red Knight milady." Was the prompt reply from the suit, an armored hand reached up to pull up his facial visor. "I am also known as Chase Redford when I'm not on duty."

"Right. Is it safe to say that the battle seems to be over here in Wonderland?" The fairy asked getting back to business.

"Thus far it seems so milady." Chase nodded looking around.

"Battle?" Cedar asked bewildered. "Wait a splinter, we're in Wonderland? How did we end up here?" The girl exclaimed finally taking her eyes off her new body long enough to take a look at her surroundings.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Faybelle asked knowing that possession often led to memory loss.

"I had been making my way to the village, I was going to inform Raven over lunch about a new discovery that I had accidentally found out about Bleeding Rebel Hearts. You see I had been walking around one of these hidden passages that I have found all over the school, this one was new to me so I decided to explore it and that's when I stumbled across this old hairbrush, I had tried to reach down to pick it up when it came alive and tried to attack me! So on reflex I sprayed it with this special peppery and Bleeding Rebel Heart stuff that Cerise had Raven make me for self defense if I ever needed it, Cerise worries about stuff like that, anyways when I sprayed the hairbrush it sparked a lot and… it's enchantment got broken I think, I believe that the Bleeding Rebel Hearts are way more powerful as not just an anti curse agent, but an anti-Evil-Queen's-magic agent as well! But I don't remember anything past catching up with Lizzie in the hall… and then I woke up and I was a real girl!" Cedar explained, the long-winded speech spoken so rapidly that the people around her were left to blink a moment in order to fully digest it all.

Faybelle sighed closing her eyes and giving her head a little shake in order to clear it. "How about after we're cleared to go, we find you something to wear, and we get Tiffany some medical attention, I'll sit you down and explain everything. Sound good?" The fairy asked.

"Yes, I guess so…" Cedar nodded looking around uncertainly.

"Ashlynn is there anything more you need me… and I guess Tiffany's pet too, since he's still standing, to do?" Faybelle turned back to the princess who had been talking to people off screen, the frown on her face told Faybelle that something was off.

"We can't get ahold of Raven and Apple's group, if the way is clear I'd like it if as soon as you can you could assemble some Wonderlandian soldiers to come with you through the portal and check things out." Ashlynn requested looking worriedly to something off screen.

"They had been awfully close to the… whatever that thing was, maybe all of that magic messed with the magic in their phones." Tiffany proposed. "It's been known to happen."

"That's what we're hoping this is all about." Ashlynn nodded. "Red Knight, is it possible to call a medical team to go with Faybelle as well?"

The Red Knight nodded tapping the armor on his arm in order to activate a communications device of some kind and spoke quickly into it in riddleish.

"The general is assembling the troops you have requested Lady Ashlynn of Ever After." The knight informed after he got a reply back, bowing his head in respect.

"Thank you, do you mind watching over Tiffany and Cedar?" The princess asked.

"It would be my greatest honor." The boy nodded.

"I'm going to fly up and investigate too." Hunter announced already getting back onto his dragon.

"And I'll go with you." Lizzie stated making the whole group with the dragons jump.

"You're as silent as a ghost has anybody ever told you that?" Hunter complained good-naturedly to the approaching girl, he eyed Giles who was walking silently beside her. "Is she…?"

"Dead? Yes, I managed to take a picture of proof before her body disintegrated." Lizzie nodded holding up her phone, which displayed a picture that she had carefully cropped on the way over to show only the mutilated body of the Evil Queen, and not the woman's grieving parents.

"Disintegrated?" Giles murmured lowly casting Lizzie a covert questioning look, since the Evil Queen's body had not, in fact, disintegrated as the girl standing beside him had claimed.

"It would seem mother that we cannot parade our enemy's corpse around Wonderland as is tradition." Lizzie sighed as if dramatically disappointed. Casting Giles a look that she hoped conveyed that it would be in his best interests to play along.

She was after all trying to bail him out of trouble and offer some level of peace to both him and his brother by lying about what happened to the Evil Queen's corpse, not because she personally cared about the Headmaster's fate and she actually had half a mind to lead the victory march herself with the Evil Queen's head speared onto a pole.

But that would not be what Lenna would want, nor Raven she suspected, so in honor of Lenna's memory, and in respect to Raven and all she had to deal with today, Lizzie was willing to provide this little bit of mercy, just the once.

The girl turned back to Hunter's phone. "And you had told me such fun stories of victory marches from our land's past." Lizzie pouted a little genuinely because victory marches really did sound like a fun event to attend.

"Oh I think that we can still have a victory march, don't you worry my dearest daughter." The Queen of Hearts assured, her voice sounding altogether pleased.

"She's dead…" Hunter managed to breathe out; he felt such overwhelming relief at the sight of the picture before him that he was not sure what to do with himself. "She's dead!" He laughed tears falling down his face, deciding that he could feel horrified at the picture later if he needed to, but right now he was just too happy that the nightmare woman was gone.

He turned to the others behind him. "The Evil Queen is dead!" He cried with a grin.

Almost as if they had been waiting for his confirmation cheers erupted from the group behind Hunter and all parties listening from the phone.

"Sound off the word! It has been confirmed! The Evil one is dead!" The Red Knight called to his fellow countrymen who had been gathering around the small group of foreigners in curiosity, they paused as if they feared to believe their ears but then started cheering as well once the news finally sunk in.

"What about the Headmaster? Lady Elenore?" Hunter asked when the cheering had died down and he could turn his mind to other matters.

"Lady Elenore is conserving what strength she has left and the Headmaster… is alive but in no mental shape to be doing much at the moment, so Giles will be the one to cleanse the area where the body was."

"Cleanse?" Hunter asked confused.

"All of those years in the library meant that I had a lot of time to study, which included Wonderlandian rituals of how to clean the land after a violent death has occurred. Of course I am nowhere near as skilled as an actual death-priest but I can't hurt to be doubly cautious." Giles informed starting to catch on to Lizzie's plan of apparent mercy on his brother and himself.

The screen switched from the scene in Wonderland by the portal, with Faybelle taking an offered cloak from one of the soldiers and wrapping it around a highly confused Cedar, to that of the Queen of Hearts.

"I agree that in this situation being double and perhaps triply cautious would be beneficial… I am glad that you had taken the time to study up on our traditions during your… time in the school's library was it?"

"Yes I'm guessing that you have already heard that I spent eleven years… in the archives under the school." Giles nodded wondering where this was going.

The Cheshire Cat's eyes flashed before the rest of the woman appeared into existence beside the queen. "Oh my, it must have been quite disorienting having to catch up on everything, especially school affairs and such." The woman purred, eyeing the old man much like he was a strangely shaped mouse.

"I still haven't caught up with everything, especially since most business is conducted on these fancy new mirrorphones." Giles let out a nervous laugh. "I have only just managed to figure out how to send a hext from mine… the little keyboard keys kept changing into these little weird faces."

This earned a small bell laugh from the Queen and an amused chuckle from the cat-woman.

"Are you sure you want to do the cleansing alone?" Lizzie asked with the most wide-eyed and innocently concerned face that she could muster. "Today must have been such a terrible shock."

Giles nodded without thinking, still trying to piece together where the young girl of hearts was coming from. "It has been but I really don't think that my brother needs anymore excitement for the moment, not while Elenore is still in this plane. And beside I can perform the quick version of the ceremony my-" Gile's eyes widen when he noticed the two women on screen visibly relax in acceptance to his presence. "Myself…" The man trailed off, just then he figured out what Lizzie had done, she had made him look innocent to all of the potential crimes that were about to be pinned onto his brother, and had given them ample opportunity to hide the Evil Queen's body away to where it would not run the risk of being desecrated.

And he could not set matters right because then he would be charged with lying to the Queen of Hearts as well as getting Lizzie into trouble.

But it did at the very least give his brother a moment to say goodbye and to protect his daughter for the very last time before…

"Your highness I beg of you to please show some mercy upon my brother he-… he was just trying to protect his daughter, the Evil Queen. In the best way that he knew how." Giles begged, worry for his brother's life making his blood run cold.

The Queen of Hearts smiled kindly at the old man. "You are truly a kind, forgiving man Lord Giles Grimm." The woman observed. "No doubt you would make a very fitting Headmaster should this school be reopened or if you decide to go elsewhere for your career."

Giles twitched realizing that he had just been casually dubbed an honorary Wonderlandian lord and had a spoken, recorded promise from the Queen of Hearts that she'd endorse him in whatever future career he so chose after all of this.

Giles swallowed thickly trying to push down the guilt that bubbled up, he needed to focus on protecting his brother. "Might I please propose that a punishment may be handed out by my great-niece the Honorable Lady Raven, daughter of the Good King? I understand that great crimes have been committed against you, your daughter, and your people, but my great-niece, Raven, has been the one to suffer greatly from the Evil Queen's dishonor to her grandmother's family name for years, as well as having to live with severe physical, magical, and mental abuse, and her own attempted murder to her person and spirit from the woman, plus the attempted murder of my great-niece's True Love, the Fair Princess Apple White and future ruler to Ever After." Giles proposed desperately, a hand placed sincerely over his heart.

The Queen of Hearts hummed in contemplation. "You acknowledge that The Honorable Lady Raven as you great-niece and as your flesh and blood?" She asked taking out a pair of reading glasses on a stick and grabbing a report to look over from a stack of papers on a platter that was being held up by a fish in a suit.

"Our intelligence says that on the day that Lady Elenore had birthed her daughter she had submitted a formal letter from the father of the child which had stated his intention to give up all his paternal rights and all the rights that the witchling had to her father's name and inheritance… by witch laws such a letter is valid legal documentation… and by Wonderlandian laws as well. Did you know of this?"

Giles shook his head, stealing himself, they were already compiling a hefty case against his brother and he knew that in Wonderland… denying paternity responsibilities was equal to child neglect and domestic abuse. He needed to convince the queen as well as the Wonderlandian authorities to let Raven decide the punishment now, for the sake of his brother's life. "I swear upon the resting place of my beloved mother I had not a clue of that letter until today, let alone that I was an uncle, however if I had known I would not care about what the letter stated, I would have proudly proclaimed that I was an uncle and now a grand-uncle, I do not know much about the letter to which you speak, seeing as how I had just heard about it today from Lady Elenore, but I would be grateful if my brother could please speak for himself to his granddaughter Raven, what the exact circumstances were, should you and the Wonderlandian authorities be so kind as to let her and her wife be the judge and jury for his fate."

Hunter and the others around him looked up at the sound of something whistling through the air, red balls of light could be seen exploding over the roof of Ever After castle.

"That's my cousin's magic!" Faybelle exclaimed; somebody had the presence of mind to turn their phone up so that people on the other end of the line could see what was going on.

"Very well Lord Giles I will consider your plea." The Queen of Hearts relented now that something more pressing had come up. "However I expect your brother to be escorted either to Wonderland or to the Grand Coven when they get there. Understood?"

"Yes my queen." Giles bowed before turning to leave. "The rest of you can go, your friends need your presence more than I do." He ordered over his shoulder.

Hunter nodded to his group, telling them to obey the old man. He held his hand out to Lizzie. "Lets go get our friends." He grinned in determination as the girl took his hand and seated herself behind him.

The people around them cheered hopping onto their dragons as well.

"Letz me on yourz!" Professor Rumplestiltskin demanded Ginger, not waiting for her response as he climbed onto her stead. "Lady Yaga is crazy woman on zat zing!" He griped making the mentioned witch cackle before she took off, proving that the vertically challenged professor had not been exaggerating as she charged upward, soon followed by everyone else.

XXX

"Here they come." Briar cooed to the wide-eyed bundle in Cerise's arms. "How you holding up Apple?" The mage turned to her friend, a little too gleefully in Apple's opinion.

"Ha…" Apple replied, dazed, she had been quite a bit wide-eyed herself for a while, it was a miracle that she had enough sense to stand up and put on the white t-shirt that Daring had so kindly offered her before she had to sit back down, gathering up a passed out Raven into her lap to rest, the witch having fainted dead away the moment she set eyes on the mewling bundle that Cerise still held and Briar announcing just where that bundle had come from.

"It's about time." Charlotte grumbled darkly hands on her hips.

The blonde witch turned a jaundiced eye to the Wonderland portal when she could distinctly hear voices talking behind it.

"Charlotte, Raven, are you guys ok?" Faybelle, followed by about six Wonderlandian soldiers, burst through the water, coming out oddly dry when they arrived to a stop in the center of a giant, flower filled, round divot in the ground.

"Raven! Apple!" Hunter called racing to the edge of the pit and looking around worriedly.

Idly Apple figured that she was glad that she had the presence of mind to move herself and Raven to the opposite spot where the portal was, it was getting crowded really fast.

"What took you guys so long?" Charlotte demanded irritably. "And Faybelle watch out, you're about to step on a placenta."

"A what?" Faybelle asked looking down to her feet. "Oh eww!" The fairy screeched jumping back.

"Holy shit! Who's hurt?" Hunter exclaimed at the sight of what looked like something that belonged inside of somebody's body lying on the ground, jumping down into the pit the boy looked around wildly taking note of the wellbeing of those in the area. He spotted Raven laying unconscious in Apple's arms and started to panic when he saw drying blood coming from the upper portion of her visible legs.

"Raven! Is she ok?" He demanded racing to his friend.

"Oh she's just fine." Charlotte assured calmly. "She's just exhausted from the past hour's events, it takes a lot out of a person to go through all of that mess as well as giving birth."

The Huntsman looked up from examining both Raven and Apple's vital signs (Charlotte guessed that the boy was so distraught that he worried that Apple had died with her eyes open or something) to give the blonde witch a confused look.

"Birth?" He asked helplessly.

"Yes, when a female gives live birth they expel a placenta and the umbilical cord along with the child from their womb." Charlotte informed him dryly while pointing to the mess that Faybelle had almost stepped on. "Now I need somebody to take us over to a neonatal unit pronto! She's healthy at the moment, so is the mother and I want to keep it that way!"

"She?" Ashlynn's voice asked from Hunter's pocket. "Mother? Whose mother?"

The boy gathered up enough sense to take out his phone so that his girlfriend could see what was going on.

Everyone went quiet when the bundle in Cerise's arms let out a yowl of complaint to all of the noise.

"I swear I was speaking metaphorically earlier!" Apple warbled out in defense from her corner.

As everyone turned their eyes to the tiny fists that started waving from the folds of Cerise's sacrificed hood the sky above them became crowded with approaching air-ships.


	31. Epilogue pt1

Author's note (here's the much requested epilogue):

Yes I did go there with the whole instant magical baby thing.

No I do not regret it.

Why?

NINE HUNDRED PLUS PAGES SPENT ON THIS THING THAT'S WHY!

Plus it added an unexpected twist that made the end of this thing… more interesting from my perspective, and since I started this thing solely for my own amusement I decided to end it in a way that would be highly entertaining to me.

So anyway I still can't get to let me post more than twenty pages so, like the past few chapters, I will be posting the epilogue in sections.

Thank you for the reviews I really appreciate it.

XXX

Epilogue pt.1

XXX

Raven sighed heavily, her racing thoughts finally settling after what felt like forever thinking about the day's events, she blinked up at the intricately painted round ceiling of the Heart clan's harem nursery, taking a moment to just focus on the feel of the soft sheets pressed beneath her, the cool pillow she shared with a familiar blonde head of hair, the thin quilt that covered the both of them, hiding the other's limbs tangling with hers.

The witch raised one arm upwards towards the ceiling, her hand splayed out as if reaching towards the center of the artwork on the ceiling, where there was a painting of Di`one' the ancient Wonderlandian goddess of fertility and family protection, the light from the Wonderlandian sunset casting the skin on her arm and the paint on the ceiling in a warm, inviting glow.

Apple shifted beside her, propping herself up on her arms so that she could look down onto Raven's face.

"Hey." The princess greeted looking at the witch tenderly.

Raven smiled moving her hand to caress Apple's cheek. "Hey."

"How long have you been awake?" Apple asked in a quiet whisper.

"Long enough to get my thoughts in order." Raven sighed moving her hand to rest on the princess's arm. "I'm still… overwhelmed, but I think that I can start handling the things that have happened now."

"So you won't faint again when you see…?" Apple trailed off, Raven had fainted twice so far; the first time was when they had been on the battlefield and the second when the witch had woken up while being transported from the Wonderlandian medical field unit to the Queen of Heart's royal palace, Raven had taken one look at the infant swaddled up in a makeshift cradle beside her and had promptly lost consciousness once again from shock.

"I'm going to try to not do that." Raven promised with a blush, she looked around, just realizing that it was awfully quiet. "Where is she by the way?"

"She had been given a clean bill of health so her grandparents took custody of her until you were awake enough for them to fret over you properly." Apple informed with a tired sigh. "I didn't think that your father would ever stop crying with joy and my mother has already started listing out baby names… your grandmother, your father's mother that is, seemed immensely disappointed that she didn't get to fight anything. Speaking of which is it normal for her to whack your father upside the head? And curse using medieval peasant slang? Because she had been doing a lot of that while she was in here." Apple asked with wide eyes.

"Only when's she's really happy… or drunk." Raven replied seriously. "It stems from her royal training to become a female king, back in her day all of the Lady Good Kings had to become strong no-nonsense individuals reminiscent to ancient Arthurian period kings to gain respect amongst the other kingdoms. It was either that or marry, and let their husband take the throne… which has never happened as far as I have read from the family history books."

Apple eyed her skeptically. "You aren't gonna-?"

"No." Raven shook her head. "I mean; times have changed, besides can you seriously see me spouting off that kind of language and hitting people? For fun?"

Apple breathed a sigh of relief. "Back to our main conversation." The princess ordered.

Raven nodded. "I'm… calmer now. Though it might help if someone explained to me hexactly what is going on with all that… Like how I distinctly remember waking up this morning with _nothing_ in my womb to suddenly _giving birth_ a few hours later… And… is… is she… ours?" The witch asked tentatively, tilting her head back so that she could breathe a little easier, she already knew the answer (he ache in her lower regions was kind of difficult to miss); she just… wanted confirmation, to make it a little bit more real to assure her that she was not dreaming.

"Yes. She is ours." Apple sat up a little so that she could breathe easier too, taking Raven's hand and cradling it in her own. "The healers are still trying to figure out the specifics of how it happened but according the most popular theory going around; in order for the Evil Queen's magic and the evil power laced in the spell written into the fabric of the curse to be negated there needed to be a conversion of the raw power connected to you and for it all to be burned up while creating something else… and since we were using the power of True Love to battle that thing…"

"Ah." Raven nodded, it made sense. "I'm guessing that means your theory from earlier has been proven to be true." The witch mused feeling a little dazed.

"I swear I had been speaking metaphorically." Apple insisted. "I had just assumed that you'd gain more powers not… spontaneously grow a child."

"Well…" Raven tilted her head in thought. "I guess that if we were to speculate what would happen in the realm of "what-if-this-afternoon-never-happened" we… well mostly you, until I could get my head around it, would have been thinking pretty seriously about having witchlings as soon a possible anyway… right? Or would you have been thinking about waiting a while-?"

"After having to deal with rival suitors, almost losing you to my own thick skulled ideals, and the Evil Queen looming in the background; you can bet that I would have whisked you away to marry me the moment I turned eighteen! I know that it probably would have taken some time to convince you that I was being genuine in my affections and you would have probably wanted to take things slowly, but I'm sure that I could've convinced you sooner or later. And, if I were to be completely honest, I would not be too surprised if I began secretly trying to convince you to gift us with a witchling… hmm a month or two after we graduated, that is unless I could somehow manage to convince you to let us try sooner." Apple figured rubbing her chin in thought.

Their witchling was quite the big surprise (in the most epic sort of way) and Apple had been practically catatonic from the shock of it all (mostly wondering why she hadn't fainted like Raven because she sure felt like she should have fainted) but after Raven's family and her mother had whisked away their new grandchild Apple had the time to properly digest what had happened, looked at the situation rationally, she found herself feeling a little better.

Raven would make an excellent mother, Apple had no doubts about that, _Ancestors knew_ that she at the very least had enough patience to make a rally good one, what with having to deal with all the squabbling between the Royals and Rebels for so long. And she was incredibly kind, always doing nice things for others even if they constantly snapped at her for not following her "destiny", though Apple was sure that by now it was pretty obvious that being evil was never in Raven's cards for the future anyway.

Apple had some experience with children herself; being a White meant that she had been doing charity work since she had been old enough to understand that helping others was important. It was a part of her princess training and family tradition to go out to the public and help out, it was important to understand the condition of her people after all, children included.

Another factor to consider was that Apple was a princess, and being a princess meant that it had been drilled into her head since she was a small child that she would have to have a child herself as soon as possible after her story had finished. It was her duty to keep the line going, and it was best to get that out of the way while she was still young. Raven had just given them that child about a little more than year or so earlier than what was usual in Apple's family, that was all.

And it wasn't like they didn't have a support system to help them out, not only did they both have family that seemed to be extremely pleased by the new surprise addition, but they were both heiresses to kingdoms, Apple certainly knew that her mother was probably already thinking about who would be a suitable nursemaid from their kingdom, she didn't know about how Raven's family did things but the princess was certain that the witch would appreciate the help.

And most importantly they had each other; their relationship thus far had survived a great deal of stress, in comparison to a lot of the adventures and stresses that the two had gone through a child was surprising but… oddly less daunting than it should have been for Apple. It just did not hold nearly as much freak-out value as thinking that everyone that one loved would disappear unless they assumed the names and stories of long-dead family members.

"You did promise to bear our witchlings and, saving me from a poisoned apple or no, I am determined to get my happily ever after with you." Apple pointed out seriously to Raven's wide-eyed face.

"That soon?" Raven gaped outraged from the shock of perfect princess Apple White admitting to being married while in high school, Apple's birthday was in the spring and well into the school year. "Really?"

"Well if I could have convinced you to go through with all of that then; yes really." Apple told her seriously. "Personally, I am still very overwhelmed by all of this… and more than a little scared… but after the shock of it all has died down I… I really want to start this whole family thing with you… I know that this is sudden and I don't want to scare you-"

"Apple." Raven cooed bringing the princess's hand up so that the witch could kiss her fingers. "I've… already thought about that, and while I'm still very overwhelmed… yeah. I want a family with you too, I want this family." The witch admitted sincerely.

"Really?" Apple breathed in relief. "I had worried that you would be more freaked about all of this." The princess was aware that Raven's childhood had been vastly different from hers despite the both of them being heirs to thrones. Over the past three months Apple had become all too aware of the hateful whispers spoken about Raven that she had previously been deaf to, and a lot of those whispers had not been too kind about Raven's future life nor of the idea of Raven… having a little one of her own. It seemed that many had once deplored the idea of not only Raven's existence, but also the existence of a hypothetical child.

It was one of the reasons why Apple gave up trying to be nice or diplomatic to those who spoke so much ill about Raven, at the very least she had been able to terrify those whispers into silence within the walls of Ever After High.

"Oh don't get me wrong, I am still very freaked." Raven warned. "But… I had never thought that I would ever have a child, not because I didn't want one, I did want to have one someday, so very much… but between the dishonor to my maternal name and the curse inside of me-… I had given up hope of having one of my own so long ago… I never could bear to see a witchling that I had birthed and loved go through with any consequences because of all of those painful things which would not be her fault." The witch sniffed, her eyes misting.

"Hey…" Apple murmured moving down to kiss Raven's eyes. "It's alright now, the curse is gone and after today you had better have your family honor restored back, or there will be trouble coming to those who dare deny you." The princess promised, her tone was light but there was a look in her eyes, which told Raven that whatever that trouble entailed… would not be pleasant for her critics.

"I am free." Raven whispered in awe as the realization dawned on her, laying her head back and grinning. "You saved me, my beloved princess."

"And you saved me." Apple grinned back kissing Raven on the lips, reveling in the knowledge that she could do that whenever she wanted to now.

Raven pulled Apple down and the two curled up around each other, enjoying the quiet of the moment.

"I guess the Canvas of Eros was right after all." Raven murmured to the ceiling.

"What?" Apple asked peeking over to the witch.

Caught, Raven bit her lip and tried to look innocent.

Apple's eyes narrowed. "Is this one of the things that you had kept from me while everyone was freaking out over whether or not I was going to freak out? If so, I can assure you that I am feeling perfectly sane and put together at the moment so, my dearest, if you would please be so kind as to spill."

Raven chuckled nervously, knowing it was better to get that story out of the way sooner rather than later. "If that's your desire Apple…"

XXX

"You're a maiden Tiffany Whey Muffet!" A shrilly-stern voice reprimanded. "You should have done the proper thing and fainted picturesquely, or wept beautifully while the princes and heroes came to your rescue! If you had done that then you would not have been injured!" The voice continued to nag as if they knew anything about what had transpired in the afternoon battle. "I bet none of the properly trained heroes got injured, it's their destinies after all. Oh how are you ever going to find a proper hero to marry if you continue on like this?"

Practically everyone in the air-ship _Thebes's_ med bay looked up from what they were doing to turn to the blonde who was having her turn to converse with her parents on one of the phones that they all had to share to call relatives.

Tiffany rolled her eyes at her mother's words. "We weren't in a fairytale story mum, The Evil Queen had us pinned down in such a way that it was either fight to survive or to give up and hope that our deaths were swift." The blonde told the screen dryly, already tired of this conversation. She looked around the room noticing the eyes that were now trained on her and blushed. "I know that the whole Rebel versus Royal conflict has made you all edgy but could you at least find the decency to, I don't know, be happy that our world is no longer threatened by a crazy woman who wanted to annihilate and enslave everything, or, ya know, at least tone down this whole obsession about making me presentable so that you can marry me off to some rich Joe with a title? At least give your _injured,_ only daughter and the people around her, who can _hear you_ by the way, some illusion that you care more about my safety and the fact that the realms are no longer in danger, than gaining a title and the money that would come with it." The girl hissed her words dipped to sub-zero tones and she gave the screen a stern glare.

Tiffany had decided that she was too tired and too irritated to be dealing with her mother's usual shallowness, the blonde knew that the older woman would sooner or later try to guilt her daughter using tears, but like most arguments from the past two years with her parents, they were pretty predictable, and Tiffany knew that as soon as she got the crying out of the way then her mother would spend the next few days, perhaps weeks, giving her the blessed silent treatment, or if she hit the right buttons, the girl would be shipped to stay at her Uncle's house (for some reason her mother thought that was a decent form of punishment, even though Tiffany adored her drag-queen relative). Tiffany had (begrudgingly) grown to live for the days of the silent treatment while she was at home, especially if she was dropped off at her uncle's house as a result.

Everyone but Tiffany jumped when the phone started making loud overdramatic boo hoo-ing noises, many wincing because even though they could not see the screen, they could tell by the sound that the older woman was faking those tears, and badly too.

"What have I done to deserve such a wicked child? Oh if only I had married a Charming Prince while I had the chance back in high school, he went on a date with me and everything you know, he could have been my king and _I_ could have been the queen who bore his three children, but then that _horrible_ woman swept him away before I could do anything about it! Oh that poor man… having to live with that demon woman everyday! I'm just glad that his children at the very least inherited all of his good qualities- save that one nerd- it would have been terrible if any of her muddy genes showed on their perfect faces." The voice turned vicious at the thought of the current Queen Charming.

Tiffany tried to suppress her bitter, nervous laughter as she noticed the three Charming siblings in the room sit up from their beds with three identical looks of protective annoyance to her mother talking trash about _their mother_. Two of those looks seemed even more severe because the woman had just spoke ill of their _brother_ on top of their mother.

Oh dear _gods_.

"And now you are laughing at me you horrid girl!" Her mother wailed. "You're just like that no good father of yours!" She accused.

"And where is _daddy_? The noble drunkard you married because I had been an… unexpectedly-on-purpose surprise? Tiffany asked with a sneer, then paused in thought. "…Well unexpected for _him_ at least." She grumbled, feeling that if her mother was going to try to embarrass her then she was just going to have to embarrass the woman right back in a far worse manner. Which wasn't that difficult seeing as Tiffany made it a point of pride to rarely be ashamed of her usual quirky and cheerily morbid behavior.

Tiffany squinted at her screen. "I can see the empty bottles of whiskey and moonshine all over the place behind you mum! Would it kill _you_ to pick those up before daddy wobbles back from picking_ me_ up? I know that the staff all quit a few weeks ago, and I am in _no condition_ to do that job for you." Tiffany scolded, feeling far older than her fifteen, almost sixteen, years.

That was one thing she was not looking forward to, going back to the mansion without the maids and other staff being there to help her out. After having to deal with her parent's increasingly troublesome behavior and decreasing salaries (Tiffany suspected that her parent's funds had… hit a very low point and they just did not want to admit it), Tiffany had decided to provide the hard working staff with glowing references under the table (forged her father's signature) so that they could find better jobs elsewhere.

Most of the hired help had been with Tiffany since birth, had helped raise her while her parents were away at social parties or too hung-over to take care of a baby, she loved them all as if they were extended kin! …And eventually she could just not bear to see them have to live in such a household with increasing deplorable conditions, both of her parent's tempers (they never as of yet laid a hand on Tiffany… but the staff… she suspected that the staff may have been a different story), and a decrease in monetary wages.

The help had been worried about her (which was unnecessary since Tiffany could hold her ground against her parents), so the blonde had accepted a plan one of the butlers suggested for her to attend a summer school program so that she could avoid going "home" altogether over the summer.

It wasn't that she didn't love her parents though, when they weren't drinking or trying to claw their way up the social ladder, they could be pretty decent parents… it was just that ever since the whole Rebel vs. Royal thing came about she had been seeing less and… less of that side of them.

And right now Tiffany was in no mood to be dealing with a sorry attempt at a guilt trip and public shaming just after she had survived a majorly scary disaster and just minutes after she had just found out that she had hair fractures in her hand, wrist, and lower arm, (it had been the adrenalin during the fight that had allowed her to still use that arm, the Healer had told her, and it was the reason why she didn't feel as much pain until things had quieted down and the sharp ache in her bones turned to agonizing pain) plus she busted up her knee so bad that she'd need surgery, perhaps even an artificial replacement of the entire joint!

…Maybe she should see if Charlotte, whose turn with the phone was next, would be willing to let her spend a few extra minutes on the phone to call her uncle and see if he could do… _something_.

"Li'l Missy Muffe- hic-… Oi! You miserable wench! Grab me more moonshine you worthless monies stealin's… wifes! We's ouuuut!" A voice warbled from the background.

"He's not coming." Tiffany's mother sounded oddly calm and dry eyed.

"Obviously." Tiffany's tone was flat.

"Hic."

"Oh for the love of- you're drunk too? I knew that something was off when you wouldn't shut up after I told you that people could hear you!" Tiffany snarled at her mother, her face aflame with utter embarrassment.

"Demon child!" Little Miss Muffet accused and then began ranting, causing Tiffany to drop the phone into her lap and lay back on her pillows so that she could cover her mortified face with her hands.

In the background Healer Phalange (who had been quickly picked up by a broom-rider to board the _Thebes,_ due to being an able bodied Healer, while the rest of the safe camp were carted off in the air-ship _Quint_) silently accepted a phone from Ashlynn and began speaking to someone in quiet tones, little did the Muffets know but soon, within the next hour, child-welfare would be making a _surprise_ visit.

"Hanging up now!" Tiffany decided, wondering why she hadn't thought of that solution sooner.

"Hold on one moment!" Daring called out jogging to the girl's bedside, taking a moment to steel himself before picking up the phone and giving the screen the most Charming smile that he could muster. "Madam Little Miss Muffet I presume?" He asked, his tone sickly sweet.

"Uh?" Was the not-so-eloquent, drunken reply, the woman on screen halted mid-rant and blinked owlishly at the boy, her head bobbing around as if she was having trouble comprehending the switch from her blonde headed daughter to this strange blond boy.

"I and prince Daring Charming, I am certain that you've heard of me?" The boy pressed on. "I was wondering if you would be so kind as to allow your daughter to stay at my family castle while she recovers? Since you are having difficulties arranging for her to be transported to you… and I have found myself quite _charmed_ by her bravery in defeating the Evil Queen. I do hope that you are so kind as to accept my request." Daring spoke as if he were giddy and hopeful.

"Why is you interested in Tiffany?" The woman asked bluntly. She blushed once she realized whom she was speaking to, collecting as much of her inhibited brain cells as she could, she straitened her spine and tried to appear more formal. "Forgive me Prince Charming but aren't you engaged to that _White girl_? That little br- I mean, my daughter hasn't been causing trouble for your happily ever after has she?"

"_Princess_ Apple White has found someone more _suitable_ to spend her life with, leaving me without a maiden." Daring answered cryptically, politely putting an emphasis on Apple's title. He did not like how this woman had seemed to sneer in disgust at the mention of Apple, or Tiffany.

He suppressed a wince at the way the woman seemed to perk up, he didn't know what it was but the way the woman was eyeing him… it made his skin crawl.

"By all means! You can keep her as long as you want!" Little Miss Muffet insisted with a force that made the boy lean away from the phone for fear that she might try to jump though it.

"Ok, great, listen I need to cut this call short so um… good day." Daring explained his charming mask slipping in the face of such a creepy lady.

Little Miss Muffet didn't seem to notice his odd behavior. "Good day Prince Charming, take _extra_ good care of my little girl! I insist!"

Daring hung up, handing the phone over to Charlotte.

"You do realize that she's going to be picking china patterns as soon as she's sober enough to read, right?" Tiffany informed from her bed. "…Thank you anyway though, I really appreciated that."

"You aren't mad that you aren't going home?" Daring asked tentatively, although he did not regret what he had done. "I mean; they are your parents."

"I… don't really feel comfortable being left to their care in this condition." Tiffany admitted quietly.

The blonde looked up as if horrified at what had just left her own mouth. "They're not that bad, don't get me wrong, it's just that… they… they aren't really child friendly all the time, when they are it's great but they tend to drink a little when they're stressed and well… it can get a little embarrassing when people are around to hear them… she didn't mean half those things, she-… she was just not herself." Tiffany seemed to be trying to convince herself more than the boy or the room.

Pico Paco stood up from his makeshift nest of surgical rags and a bowl of reward coffee beans on a bedside table, and hopped over to Tiffany's side in order to give his distressed mistress a hug.

The people around her exchanged looks, Tiffany turning Rebel suddenly made even more sense than before, well aside from not being afraid of spiders.

"I'm sure everything will sort itself out after some time has passed." Darling assured diplomatically as she walked over to the girl's bed. "In the meantime we'd be happy to let you stay at our place until everything calms down, and you are back on your feet."

Tiffany nodded. "Yeah." She said distractedly. "Yeah that's probably it… thanks again for…"

"Not a problem." Daring assured her. "How about we focus on something else for the moment." He suggested swiftly, offering the distressed injured girl a distraction.

"Yes please." Tiffany seemed to beg.

"Did you manage to get in contact with Edward?" Ashlynn asked curiously, thinking back to the emotional display the two of them shared before Tiffany was flown out to fight.

"He sacrificed his phone to Dexter and Humphrey's super cool impromptu battle communications matrix. So I posted my condition on a forum that Blondie has just set up a few minutes ago." Tiffany informed, several people perked up, tapping their shared phones to get a look at the mentioned forum and promptly started typing things down onto it. Letting their friends know that they were alive, and what injuries they may or may not have sustained.

"Briar and Cerise have already posted a bunch of pictures of a curse-free Wonderland and of Raven and Apple's newborn little one." Charlotte offered, holding up the mirrorphone in her hands so that the three people in front of her could see the mentioned pictures. "Oh! Maddie and Kitty have just uploaded a short video!"

"Awww! She's so cute!" Tiffany squealed happily at the sight of a pudgy face peeking curiously out of her swaddling blanket, the camera zoomed out showing the Queen of Hearts standing proud on a speaking balcony, holding the witchling carefully in her arms, and flanked by the ecstatic Good King and Snow White as the three showed off the bundle to the cheering Wonderlandian citizens below.

The blonde girl's mood instantly brightened. "Look at all of those people celebrating in the streets Pico Paco! And don't you think Cerise looks awesome with her ears showing?"

"She sure does." Dexter agreed, coming up on the other side of Tiffany's bed. He seemed to look at peace as Charlotte scrolled through more pictures.

The coffee golem nodded in agreement, striking a pose when someone tried to discreetly take a picture of the scene around Tiffany's bed.

"I wonder what name they'll choose for her." Dexter mused looking at the wide-eyed baby on the screen. She was adorable he admitted to himself, and for some reason he felt… not as heartbroken as he had been over a week ago, he was happy. Happy that they had won, happy that they were alive, he even happy that Raven and Apple had created such a cute kid.

He still felt a little pang in his chest, but after he analyzed it, he worked out that it was more for the loss of his first crush, not because Raven had found someone else to be happy with.

He was going to apologize to the witch first chance he got, the prince promised himself, finding that under all the hurting damage to his pride for never standing a chance, he… he _missed_ his friend greatly.

"Maybe we should give them some suggestions." Hunter proposed with a mischievous grin. "As a way of both congratulating them and helping them figure out just what to call her. I highly doubt that they've had the time to think of anything yet."

The med bay was filled with murmurs of agreement and lots of lighthearted giggling as people started coming up with names and soon everyone started winding down from the events of the afternoon.


	32. Epilogue pt2

Epilogue pt.2

XXX

The soft tuffs of hair on her little head were blonde and littered with little spots of dark red, Apple noticed as she pulled back the blanket just enough to see.

The red spots inherited from her great-grandmother definitely made her Raven's witchling but Apple had the sneaking suspicion, a_ feeling_, that their little girl would grow up to look more like _Apple_ than _Raven_.

However the witchling's eyes were all Raven, a little lighter in color but Apple knew they'd darken with time.

From beside her Apple could hear Raven sniffle, the witch running a finger down her witchling's cheek so gently that Apple wondered if Raven was afraid that the bundle in the princess's arms would break.

"She's perfect." Raven declared as if this child was the only perfect baby in all the realms.

In that instant Apple felt a firm tug in her heart, cementing the knowledge that the witch and their witchling was hers, and that she was going to love and take care of them forever after into her brain.

"Just like her mothers." Apple stated kissing Raven on the mouth.

XXX

"It's beautiful out here." Cerise said as she admired the brightly colored lanterns filling the night sky from her seat at a balcony table.

"I'm so glad that we're finally able to see a curse free Wonderlandian night." Briar agreed, smiling softly at the sound of the still celebrating people in the streets.

"I don't know how my human side feels about the food talking back at me though…" Cerise murmured poking at the soup she and Briar were sharing with a spoon, the clams floating in their own broth giggled and swam away from the utensil.

Briar squinted at the merrily swimming shellfish with the same distrust. "Raven once said that the food _itself_ isn't sentient, it's just that there is so much Wonder magic in Wonderland that the simple act of cooking… gives some sort of illusion that the food is talking? To be honest my brain sorta glitches whenever someone tries to explain the method behind the madness of Wonderland." The mage-princess sighed.

"At least the bandersnitch steak isn't talking." Cerise murmured in relief as she sliced off a hunk of the rather large slab of meat on her plate, she hummed in appreciation to the taste.

"I wonder…" Briar hummed as she eyed the giggling clams.

The princess took a deep breath before scooping up one of the clams from their dish into her soupspoon, the morsel cheering as it was picked up.

Before she could cower out of her intent, Briar plucked the clam up with her fingers, cracked the shell and sucked up the giggling meat into her mouth and swallowed.

"Weeeeee!" Cerise could hear the clam cheer as it traveled to Briar's stomach.

"You are officially one of the bravest people I've ever met, aside from my mom and Raven." The wolf-girl stated with nothing but respect in her voice.

"Thanks." Briar breathed with a hint of pride that she was actually brave enough to do that and keep her meal in her stomach, her face soon softened and she put her hand over Cerise's.

"How are your parents?" Briar asked; the two of them had called their parents before they met up for a private dinner in their shared room (which was apparently Kitty's doing seeing as the girl couldn't stop _snickering_ when she led them to their assigned guest room).

"As soon as they saw that I was alive my papa cried and my mama has started coming up with ways to hunt the Headmaster down so that she can exact vengeance on him." Cerise smiled softly. "Mom's promised not to get too into her dislike for the guy while she's around Raven, once they manage to get here sometime tomorrow, though I did learn some new words when I told her that he's actually Raven's grandfather."

"According to Blondie, she's not the only parent out for our former Headmaster's blood." Briar hummed as she chewed on some sliced fruit on her plate.

"They want to meet you." Cerise coughed, blushing as she ducked her head.

Briar paused just in time to avoid choking on her food; carefully she swallowed before looking over to Cerise with a comforting squeeze of her hand. "I take it you've told them that we're going to try out this whole dating thing?"

Cerise cleared her throat and nodded. "Yeah, but I should probably warn you that some of the pack were with them when I called so… it won't be just them who will want to meet you… eventually…"

"I'd love to meet them." Briar assured leaning over to briefly rest her head on Cerise's. "It's only fair because my dad wants to meet you too, along with my siblings, grandmother, grandfather, great-grandmother and great-grandfather, and my aunt has mentioned that she wants to see you again, she will be arriving here actually, as soon as she picks up Roseabella from the airships stationed outside of the enchanted forest surrounding Ever After High. She said something about helping the fish and wildlife services here and in Wonderland, to assist efforts to clean up the forest from all of that junk in the forest and make restoration efforts in the areas where the curse was at it's worst."

"How did your conversation go with your family?" Cerise asked curiously.

"It started out pretty expectedly; my mother threw a fit because before I called, word had reached her that I hadn't been at all damsel-like or human enough for her tastes, since someone from Wonderland had called to praise me as the _mage_-princess who helped defeat the Evil Queen and save Raven from danger." Briar said lightly though her eyes had turned stony.

"Then she started saying some unkind things about Raven and her witch heritage, so I countered by telling her that I was never going to become Sleeping Beauty, which made her say… some things that I've always known but… have never heard her voice out loud…" The princess took a deep breath, trying not to feel hurt that her own mother despised her not only because Briar had a chance at the perfectly planned destiny her mother had been denied, but on top of that, she was going to forgo the whole thing anyway because Briar _did not_ want to sleep for a hundred years…

Briar felt that she should not have been so surprised that her mother also admitted that she disliked the fact that she had been born a mage instead of a human like her father.

Briar's great-grandfather was the full-blooded mage in the family, but he had spawned with a human princess, and her grandmother, who was half-mage, also spawned with a human, her son, and Briar's father had a fifty-fifty chance of being born completely human, and Briar had even less of a chance, yet lo and behold, Briar had been the one to be born with the powers of a full-blooded mage.

It was never a secret that Sleeping Beauty hated it when Briar or any of her other children acknowledged their mage heritage, so Briar strived to try to feel more… apathetic more than hurt over all of the previously unspoken words being spoken.

Try being the key word, because despite it all coming out into the open for her to actually inspect and affirm that her previous impressions about her mother were correct, it still hurt like hell.

Cerise winced. "I'm sorry you had to hear all that." The wolf-girl stated sympathetically.

Briar shook her head. "It turned out fine in the end, because daddy finally asked for a divorce and then once the drama had stormed out, declaring that she would not be coming to Wonderland and darkening anybody's door, we were finally able to talk about more important things; like how daddy was proud of me, Apple and Raven's surprise addition, and how we've officially started dating, or admitting that we are dating, apparently daddy was under the impression that we were dating all along." The princess listed out, trying to bring back the lighthearted mood.

Cerise tilted her head. "I guess we were kind of dating unofficially for a while… I think, really I'm not sure when we switched from friends to- well whatever it was we were until this afternoon to be honest…" She hummed deciding to let Briar focus on something else for the moment, something that the princess was obviously thankful for as the two continued to talk through their meal before heading off to bed.

"I wonder if Kitty realizes that we've already slept in the same bed, platonically mind you, before. Adding in the fact that we've only _just_ started dating? I'm pretty sure that it'll take a while before we start to feel all awkward sharing a bed." Cerise sighed as the two stood silently staring at the heart-shaped bed.

Briar rolled her eyes. "Let her have her fun, she's already missed out having to lock two certain somebody's into a closet, so she's stuck with giving us the same room."

"Until she gets a chance to lock someone else into a closet with their secret _true love_ right?" Cerise asked with a smile.

"Well of course, this will hardly be enough to satisfy her for long." Briar replied seriously making her new girlfriend laugh.

XXX

"That is her highness's final decree on this matter." Bunny Blanc's voice rang clear through the giant communications screen in the brig of the leading air-ship _Quill_.

Giles took a deep, relieved breath, closing his eyes for a moment; his age-gnarled hands shook as they came up to his mouth as he breathed out through his nose. "Thank the Ancestors." He whispered.

"There are conditions to this deal." Lizzie warned. "My mother and the Wonderlandian authorities have mixed feelings about allowing this much mercy, so they came up with some serious restrictions that will have to be implemented if he's to avoid a warrant to be shipped here for a full trial, and if he ever sets so much as a toe in Wonderland he _will_ be hunted down for trial."

Giles nodded. "Understood."

"Another thing that you should be aware of Lord Giles." Bunny spoke up, looking down at a list in her hands. "While some of the other formerly cursed worlds have agreed to our ruling, provided that the punishment sounds suitable, others are demanding that he be formally charged to the fullest extent in their courts."

"I expected as much." Giles nodded again, still far too relieved to feel too down about the expected fact.

Lizzie was silent for a moment. "I know that Raven will ask this eventually, when she does… what should I say about how they are treating him? Even where he might be going?"

"Tell her that Gus and Sasha will be helping Giles make sure that he gets to his destination safely, and as for the location… tell her that he'll be put in the special secret place where no one can try their luck getting to him before she does." A tall handsome dark skinned man spoke. He and the woman he mentioned stepping forward to flank either side of Giles.

Lady Mage Sasha held up a hand. "Oh and if you could tell Raven and our Lady King's harem wife, Sandrine Blue Feather, to send us lots of pictures and updates? And… well our Lady King will be doing all of that anyway but tell her and the rest of them that we love them all, and that we can't wait until they come back home." The green haired woman exchanged glances with Gus, the two giving each other a warm smile.

"I'll be more than happy to relay the message." Lizzie nodded, smiling at the thought of the Lady King and her harem wife. It was nice to finally meet an Ever After monarch who was both a woman warrior and had a healthy harem, not unlike a Wonderlandian one. It gave Lizzie a sense of security knowing that Raven, and now Apple, had a family with such a strong sense of open-minded kinship to help them out.

"Be safe on your journey." Lizzie waved in farewell to the screen.

"And may your country find even more good fortune in the days to come." Giles replied with a nod before the feed was cut.

In the following silence Gus turned to look at Giles then at the blanket covered figure huddling in the corner of his brightly lit cell.

"Raven's not going to be too happy that he's been arrested at all." Gus sighed running a hand through the short black curly hair covering the top of his head. "Hex, I wouldn't be too surprised if she throws a fit over this whole thing." The man spoke with certainty; he knew his adopted grandkid after all.

"Hmm." Sasha nodded in agreement. "But that's exactly why you chose her to be the one to execute the punishment, isn't it?" The mage's words sounded more like a statement of facts rather than a question.

"Raven is now the co-heir to the two most powerful human kingdoms in the realm of Ever After." Giles spoke gravely. "In the time that I've known her she has always been a kind and just individual. I trust that hatred and vengeance will not be the driving force behind her decision for my brother's fate."

"I'd bet good money that she'll either think that he's done nothing wrong, or try to forgive him of everything." Sasha sighed knowingly in a way that only someone who had been in the witch's life since birth.

The blanket covering the former Headmaster seemed to move in a manner that appeared skeptical to the woman's words.

XXX

"This kind of feels… I don't know why I don't feel completely safe yet." Blondie confessed into her assigned mug filled with steaming hot stew, huddling further into her standard issue black woolen blanket.

"I feel the same way." Cupid admitted into her own mug wrapping a wing protectively around the blonde. "After everything that's happened I wouldn't be surprised if almost everybody is feeling the same way."

The two looked around, night had fallen hours ago yet neither of them felt tired, they were sitting on an empty crate somewhere between the two landed air-ships, the lights coming from the ships gaping open to display the boarding decks and illuminate people who were milling about.

They could see soldiers at work, healers making their rounds, the school's staff was also going around checking on people, and then there were students of Ever After High.

Everyone had been cautioned not to travel too far away from the main area, but none of the teens seemed too keen to step even a foot away from the areas lit up by the ships' internal lights and the floating high-beam lanterns scattered everywhere anyway. Not even when a few parents had managed to show up to collect their children, the guardians all seemed to be alarmed when their teenaged kin clung to their hands or their sibling's hands like they were small children as they bravely stepped out into the dark in order to get into vehicles of transportation.

"We are all going to need therapy." Blondie stated soundly.

"Agreed." Cupid nodded. "It's a good thing that all of the students have managed to survive, a miracle even." She whispered shivering when her thoughts strayed to the golems, and Raven suspended in the air…

"How many injured from your ship?" Blondie asked curiously, trying to distract the distressed winged girl with facts.

"Scrapes and sprains mostly, a couple of bites from bad magic, a few broken bones, several people have some pretty bad scratches severe enough to scar, some fairies' wings are a little torn but nothing too serious to my knowledge, Sparrow's missing a good portion of his ear, but I'd say Tiffany's got it the worst. Her knee is completely shattered, some of her leg tendons have snapped clean in half, her hand and arm is broken, and there was a tiny bite from the Evil Queen's magic on her hip that everybody, including her, had missed until she had started to convulse when it worsened. They've managed to stop the spreading of the poison no problem but everyone is on high alert with her." Cupid listed out, pointing her chin in the direction of Tiffany, who was catching some fresh air while sitting in a wheel chair and being escorted by a fretting Edward and all _three _of the Charming siblings.

"Tiffany's parents have turned out to be pretty irresponsible." Cupid elaborated in the face of Blondie's questioning look. "So much so that child services had been quietly called and the Charming's are going to take her in while she recovers. Though from what I've overheard from a call Dexter had with his parents, she might be staying longer, turns out some of the Charming's maids used to work at Tiffany's parent's place, they've called up the rest of the staff that used to work there too and they all want to testify against the Muffets, that added with the deplorable conditions child services discovered earlier at Tiffany's house and it seems as though the Muffets are going to lose custody rights very soon."

Blondie's eyes widened. "Does Tiffany know?"

Cupid shook her head. "Not yet, but the Charming's know and they're trying to show as much support as they can. I think that it'll work out pretty well, despite her morbid personality Tiffany seems to share a lot of the same interests with them, especially with Dexter and his computers."

"So it looks pretty much like they've just gained a sibling?" Blondie asked, noticing how Daring earned smiles of awe from their blonde charge when he pointed out star constellations and spoke about each one, how Dexter gently bundled her up in a blanket and gave up his scarf to wrap around her so that she didn't get too cold, and How Darling surveyed the area protectively, gingerly ruffling Tiffany's hair when the girl laughed at something funny Daring had said.

"More like two, Edward's moms are going to see if they can spend some time in the Charming's kingdom so that they can help watch over Tiffany as well." Cupid said with a small smile. "So Edward is going to be hanging around a lot too."

"She's very fortunate to be so loved." Blondie agreed with her companion's unspoken assessment.

"Speaking of which, how did your group fair?" Cupid asked.

Blondie hummed. "The teachers and staff found closest to the school have recovered, so have the animal-kin, Duchess has been unusually kind to everyone, last I saw her she was helping Faybelle and Charlotte catch Cedar up on the day's events, and I'm going to be stopping over by Raven's dad's kingdom in order to drop off two special packages."

"Packages hm?" Cupid asked pulling Blondie's blanket far enough away to see a tiny sleeping dragon and mouse between them.

"Mom and the Bears want an excuse to visit and see the sights, help me wind down a little before going home." Blondie explained looking down. "Though I don't think I've got the nerves as badly as others."

The reporter caught Cupid's eye.

"Call me, message me, visit me, I don't care if you turn up in the middle of the night, just… I care about you, I… I'm scared that I'll get nightmares about you never coming back and I don't want you to bottle it all up in an effort to protect me. I want to share our fears with each other so that we don't have to be so _scared_ anymore, and I want to make sure that you, and the rest of my friends are safe, so please keep in contact and visit. I… don't know if we will all be going to the same school now that Ever After High has been torn to pieces, and my parents have been threatening homeschooling they were so freaked out. I never even knew that my mom could utter one swear word, let alone swear to heaven and back that she's going to rip out the Headmaster's lungs for keeping the Evil Queen inside of a high school and-"

The blonde squeaked when Cupid leaned over to plant a kiss to her brow, her hand rubbing soothing circles into Blondie's shoulder.

"I'll plan on swinging around your neighborhood as often as I can if homeschooling is the case for you." Cupid promised. "And I'll take you out to places where you can review all of these fun things on your blog. Let's celebrate being alive and have fun days in the future."

"Sounds just right to me." Blondie sniffled and smiled at the winged girl fragilely.

XXX

"She's so tiny." Raven murmured in awe as she peered over the side of the cradle placed beside the bed, unable to stop staring since the child had been brought back to them.

The witch winced making a pained sound when she shifted too far. "How can something so small cause so much pain to my rear after she came out?" Raven grumbled easing back a little.

Apple snickered leaning over to kiss Raven on the cheek. "That'll heal up soon." The princess promised. "Just rest up and have some patience."

A small dainty woman with brown hair decorated with feathers hummed in agreement from her spot in the rocking chair beside both the bed and the cradle. "Your wife is right little miss, the healers said that'd all heal up soon. Provided that you steer clear of… certain activities." The woman's voice was deceptively soft, even as she gave the two teenagers a pointed look.

"Sandrine!" Raven hissed quietly, mindful of the sleeping child.

"I'm not naïve to the fact that you two are both able bodied teens." Sandrine defended with a quiet snicker. "Really what would you two be doing if you had some privacy and you were well enough?"

The two teenagers in question blushed.

"That's the only downside to this." Apple admitted making Raven blush even more.

"I could have sworn that not more than a week ago she was a lot less… forward about this kind of thing Sandrine." Raven swore to her grandmother's spouse.

The fellow witch, Sandrine Blue Feather only chuckled. "It's only to be expected for someone your age little miss, after all your wife is at her prime and she is technically married to you." The woman pointed out.

"Which means that I don't have to wait until after a wedding ceremony to be intimately close to you." Apple proclaimed, wrapping her arms around Raven's waist. "Once I realized that I had a chance to be with someone who I was truly attracted to… well you and Cupid have said that love is a beautiful, pure thing, as long as it is healthy and we are both happy right?"

Raven blushed redder but nodded all the same. "Yeah, that's right." The witch smiled placing her hands over Apple's.

"Have you two settled on a final list of names?" Sandrine asked making the embracing couple groan with dread.

"Ashlynn sent us a list of suggestion names so long it took two files just to send it all." Apple confessed in dismay.

"We're still coming to terms with her actually being here, thinking up names in the wake of all of the stuff that just happened today-" Raven glanced at the wall clock. "Yesterday is…" Raven made a frustrated gesture.

Sandrine chuckled. "I'll bet it is." She agreed sympathetically. "Well I suppose you can leave that for a few more days yet to get adjusted to the idea before committing to anything. Speaking of the time though, perhaps you two should take you little one's lead and get some sleep yourselves." The older witch suggested with a pointed look at the clock.

"I'm going to visit the bathroom first." Raven announced, gingerly moving off the bed. "I'll be back soon."

"I'll leave the light on." Apple promised as she yawned.

Apple had nearly dozed off when she felt an emotion of distress from Raven.

Without giving Sandrine an explanation the princess marched out of the room, finding Raven in the main sitting room of the harem chambers. Her witch had both hands covering her mouth in horror as she stared wide-eyed at a very solemn Lizzie.

"What's going on?" Apple demanded rushing to Raven's side, wrapping her arms around the witch protectively.

"They've arrested the Headmaster!" Raven whispered sounding shocked.

"It couldn't wait until morning." Lizzie assured Apple before the princess had the chance to glare at the girl of hearts. "Perhaps you should sit down." Lizzie advised picking up a doughnut-shaped cushion for Raven to use.

"Why?" Raven asked as she and Apple took a seat on a couch and Lizzie in a matching plush red chair.

"He endangered the lives of everyone on campus by keeping the Evil Queen there and he refused to hand over the Evil Queen to the authorities." Apple sighed having already seen this coming.

"The murdered secretary, every injury sustained on the students and staff, and your own attempted murder he's being charged as an accessory for. They're combing through his traceable life to see if they can pin anything else onto him but all of that is more that enough to keep him from seeing the light of day again." Lizzie added as gently as she could.

"And Giles?" Raven asked frightened.

"Lord Giles has been cleared of any wrongdoing and as a reward for his bravery he has been given an honorary Wonderlandian lordship by my mother." Lizzie spoke carefully, gauging Raven's reaction.

Raven slumped a little in relief.

"Please don't kill him." Raven begged. "Or lock him up in some tiny cell, I don't think that he could survive that either. I've heard Kitty tell me horror stories-"

"He is not in Wonderland." Lizzie interrupted. "Giles has handed him over to the Grand Coven and he used his good standing with my mother to be considered seriously when he asked us to allow you the honor of deciding the former Headmaster's punishment." Lizzie informed the suddenly wide-eyed witch.

"You want me to decide his punishment?" The witch asked incredulously, looking ready to argue.

"Let me explain before you jump to conclusions." Lizzie told the hysterical girl kindly but firmly. "Giles has asked that you be the one to determine the punishment because he knows that you, the rightful heir to a kingdom and a Witch's State will probably be the only ruler who would not demand his brother's head be displayed through the streets. Trust me, there have been a lot of offers from all sorts of realms to do just that. Giles is looking to you to word things in such a way that will make it seem like the former Headmaster is going to be suffering terribly for his very legitimately serious crimes, while not actually being killed or shoved into a cell and forgotten." The brunet inhaled deeply once her point was across.

"You're being oddly merciful." Apple observed calmly as she held a fretting Raven close. The witch in her arms seemed to be trying to let the information sink in but was still feeling immensely worried about the situation.

Lizzie looked out one of the large windows looking out on the lanterns and fireworks lighting up the night sky.

"My childhood friend, Lenna, she would have become my chief harem wife if she had not been taken away from me the night Wonderland was attacked." Lizzie murmured, her voice raw with rarely shown emotion. "She was not the sort for vengeance and settling offence debts with those who did wrong to her, while there is a part of me who would like nothing more than to see the Headmaster pay for endangering my countrymen and my friends… Lenna would not want that. So in her memory I have decided to do what I can for your grandfather Honorable Lady Raven Queen, daughter of the Good King, grandchild of my country's new hero; Lady Elenore, adopted sister to the Hatter-Cheshire tribe, and the esteemed chief wife to my dear friend Princess Apple White of Ever After. Do tell him when you next see him not to mess this up, I will not be so generous if he ever has the misfortune of crossing my path again."

Satisfied that her point had been made Lizzie stood up to leave.

"Oh yes, one more thing." Lizzie halted as she spoke. "If you are worried for his safety, you grandmother's harem wives, Lord Gus and Lady Mage Sasha are assisting Giles in ensuring that he reaches his destination safely, they told me that they'll be putting him in this "special secret place" where no one can try their luck getting to him before you do."

"Thank you Lizzie." Raven breathed out in apparent relief before the girl left the room without another word.

Apple shifted, bringing Raven to lie on top of her as the two silently thought.

"What do you want out of all of this?" Apple asked, combing her fingers through Raven's hair.

Raven thought for a moment. "Well I don't want him to get locked up or get his head chopped off!" She stated soundly. "Aside from that I… I don't know how to do this, I'm afraid that my training in judgment and punishment is… woefully lacking."

"I've always found it a bit odd that they never offered you any of the kingdom management courses in school." Apple confessed with a frown. "I mean I know that Elenore took them, I've seen the photographs of her in that class."

"It was for the same reason why I never attended princess appreciation day." Raven mumbled, eyeing Apple carefully, she didn't know how sore the subject of how people used to treat the witch was going to be for the princess.

Apple remembered princess appreciation day, how the one time Raven had shown up and how Apple had been a bright-eyed freshman so happy to see the witch because it had been the first time in years that she had been able to get close enough to talk to her, but as soon as she stepped close the entire room started to scream and the other princesses all ran away.

Raven had looked devastated, running away herself before Apple had the chance to stop her.

"I mean I take home-classes during the summer, and my dad was going to substitute the classes from school with a few years of hands-on experience watching him and yaya, where I would assist for a few years until they thought me prepared enough to become the new Good King while still co-ruling with them in the background." Raven quickly added when she saw Apple's scowl.

"Yaya?" Apple asked still looking upset.

"It's how we say grandmother in my father's family." Raven informed. "And grandfather is either geepaw or nono."

"Can you see yourself calling the former Headmaster geepaw?" Apple asked the ceiling, her mood turning bemused.

Raven thought about it, the word in association to the man was… too weird. "I don't think that I can ever call the Headmaster as anything other than… Headmaster." She finished lamely.

"Seeing that guy as anybody's doting grandfather is pretty weird." Apple concluded, her own brain seemed to stutter at the image of Milton Grimm sitting down to have tea and cookies with Raven and Elenore as a family, or even being… _nice_ to Raven, like going out of his way to check up on her by saying hello in the morning, or ask if she had a nice day.

"I… I don't know if he wants me around him." Raven realized, the thought making her depressed. "I mean I wouldn't mind having a grandfather… or anybody from the maternal side of my family, get to know him, maybe figure out a truce of some sort. But… he must have already known! Back… on the lawn just after the quarantine had sealed us in, he didn't seemed surprised when my mother called him out about him being her father."

Raven sniffled into Apple's nightgown, she was surprised at her own tears. "Sorry I… the birth has made me all emotional."

Apple sighed. "It's alright to feel somewhat bothered by this, it's been a really bothersome day overall."

It was a gross understatement of the day but Raven nodded in agreement all the same.

"We have earned a few days rest, as long as your family is keeping the… _former_ Headmaster safe we can worry about him later, right now let's try to get some rest, sleep while the baby is asleep and all that." Apple suggested.

"I'm scared of nightmares." Raven admitted sounding small.

"I am too." Apple confessed to the unspoken worry as well. "But we'll be right next to each other the whole time, and Sasha said that she'll call for Briar or one of the Wonderlandian healers if things get really bad. I guess one of the benefits with recuperating in a wacky warrior society is that they know how to nip post traumatic stress in the butt better than anybody."

Raven thought back to when Healer Phalange had been looking over Raven after Snow White had brought her granddaughter back to her parents, the woman had mentioned something about immediate warrior healing to take place late morning the next day, the witch felt a little more comforted that there were people who would know how to deal with them once the shock wore off and it all finally sunk in.

"Ok." Raven relented, letting Apple help her up.


	33. epilogue pt3

Author's note:

I've just realized thanks to a review that a great deal of the shipping's in my story have turned out to be… well gay. It wasn't a conscious decision, most parings just happened as the story went on, and at the beginning of this I had actually thought that there would be more straight than gay parings, seeing as this show is heavily sponsored by the same people who make Barbie dolls, yet somehow…

Looking back on my research into the world of EEH I've realized that the reason why so many gay parings have popped up is because… well most the straight parings possible in this franchise… either just don't have the necessary chemistry to peak my interest, or it didn't fit into the way my story was forming.

Actually, if I'm going to be completely honest, out of all of the straight parings in the fandom the only two that really speak to me are Ashlynn/Hunter and Bunny/Alistair. They've got the right chemistry, they've got the healthy levels of devotion and attraction, and overall they're simply adorable, all of that makes their relationships feel a lot more satisfying to the side of me that is always taking apart and analyzing the storyline and plots to the TV shows and books that I'm into. The gender of the characters in the parings doesn't matter to me, but what does matter is whether or not the parings have the right chemistry and interesting plot developments to make me want to see more.

So at any rate if anybody's wondering why most of the main characters seem to be gay, it was just because the people I found to have the most interesting potential for chemistry… just happened to be of the same gender, and it _was_ a complete surprise to me (which is embarrassing to admit) once I realized this.

I'm contemplating writing a book, not a fanfiction but an actual book with my own characters and storyline, either about pre-Alice warrior culture Wonderland, or something that involves fairytales. Of course I'll have to change up a bunch of concepts I used in this story and if anybody familiar with this fanfiction happens to read this theoretical book and recognizes some similarities I'll of course deny, deny, deny having any knowledge what-so-ever of this account (since I did start this story for my own entertainment and for writing practice), if I use my real name.

However… if I can figure out how to secure a penname I might post the book title on my profile and encourage fans of my fanfiction work to buy my book…

Of course this is all theoretical rambling. Though do tell me what you think, some anonymous advice might help with my decision.

Thank you for the reviews without them I probably would have never realized things like the pairing pattern (which says a lot about me because this_ is_ my story).

Epilogue pt.3

XXX

Faybelle looked down at Cedar's sleeping head cushioned in her lap. It looked… odd to her eyes, mostly because she had rarely interacted with the other girl but after that whole fiasco over a month ago…

They were hanging out on one of the rooftops of the tall spires of the main castle right in the middle of the Thorn clan's territory, like many structures in the fairy realms the building was designed to merge with the surrounding landscape with local natural materials, organic shapes, and things growing all over it. It was an imposing building from a distance, what with its black rock base material and the sage-blue tint the lichen and the moss made when the light hit it in just the right way, at night the light orange glow from the weeping creeping willow trees was also considered eerie to any newcomers passing by.

As imposing as it was at a distance, Faybelle's childhood home lost it's initial scary feel once one got up close enough to see that the black rock was carved with finely intricate Celtic knots and ancient elven runes from a time nearly forgotten to written history. The plants and animals that called the outside walls home added to the beauty of the place, and the view of the territory from the spires… nothing helped ground Faybelle more than looking out to the living forests of the fairy realm and the distinct towering plant covered black rocks (some were actually buildings but one had to see the light from the windows at night to actually tell) that towered over the forest like silent giants, hex, Faybelle wouldn't be surprised if some had once been giants of some sort of long extinct species.

The fairy breathed, focusing on the sweetened taste of the summer air, focusing on the life out there as well as the life of the girl softly snoring in her lap.

She tried to focus on the feeling of being alive, of having survived, escaping death to live life free from dishonor and the constant threat of-

Faybelle breathed.

"Thinking surreal thoughts again cousin?" Charlotte asked making her presence known on the roof.

"It's been over a month." Faybelle murmured looking forward with unseeing eyes. "It had been a full month as of last week and yet my mind still can't escape that day." The fairy released a frustrated huff, looking down to make sure she hadn't woken up her guest, even though it was highly unlikely that Cedar would awaken for a good while yet what with the sleeping potion that the family spiritual priests had given her.

"The wounds of fear and battle take longer to heal than those of the flesh." Charlotte stated knowingly as she came up to sit beside her cousin.

"How's Cedar doing?" The witch asked peering at the slumbering girl in question. "I haven't had a chance to talk to my p`ere about her yet but when I crossed paths with him earlier he seemed pretty impressed." Which was saying a lot since the witch's father only looked impressed about the recently possessed when they had either done something particularly idiotic to get possessed in the first place, or survived against insurmountable odds.

"He should be impressed." Faybelle swore passionately, almost sounding disgusted as she unconsciously cradled the sleeping girl protectively in her arms. "They found traces of several dozen individual spirits inside of her head and they are still counting as they wipe what the things had left behind from her body! It was a good thing that she wasn't a human when she had _been_ possessed or else the damage might not have been as easily fixed as it has been so far!"

"It's a good thing that we insisted on having her examined and that her father was so willing to take us up on our generous offer." Charlotte choked out after a stunned silence. "By the way, where is her father and why is she here and not in a bed?" The witch asked looking around.

"They want to keep her here for a while, a few days at least, weeks at most, depending on how many more traces they have to scrub from her. Pinocchio asked that I look after her while he made a quick trip home to gather some things for both himself and her, put a notice of absence sign up on his shop door, bring some tools with him because apparently he likes to work when he's nervous and mom has more than enough odd jobs that need to get done. She's pleased with the discount she's getting from all of this and he should be getting enough money to keep things afloat for when they return home." Faybelle informed looking shifty.

"And the reason why Cedar isn't in a bed?" Charlotte asked again, a bit dryer this time.

"… No one told me to put her to bed, and her father's the one who left his unconscious daughter to my care…" Faybelle looked to the side.

"At least she's still clothed." The witch sighed.

"Hey! I grew out of that when I was like… twelve!" Faybelle defended.

"Myself, Ginger, and Briar were ever so happy when you finally did, we got tired of waking up naked the morning after a sleepover with you. It took weeks before dear Ashlynn could look any of us in the eye that one time." Charlotte recalled her voice flat.

"Duchess never minded." Faybelle pointed out with a pout.

"One; Duchess can turn into a swan at will, Two; we are talking about the same Duchess who is now in silent competition with that very long haired princess for Darling Charming's attentions." The witch countered, distinctly remembering how the dancer looked fit to be tied because some princess… Holly-something… seemed keen on the same girl that Duchess had her eye on for a while, but what really infuriated the dancer was that this princess was also interested in Darling's older brother, Daring. And the princess was finding herself hard-pressed to choose one over the other, but she was also refusing to back down from at least a chance with Darling… even if she still had the hot's for the girl's brother.

Charlotte was grateful that she had not yet had the misfortune of being dragged knowingly into a proper love triangle, or square, or anything of that sort (she did not count that incident where Apple was thoroughly jealous because Charlotte had not _actually _been after Raven's hand).

Faybelle on the other hand found the whole situation hilarious, especially since neither Charming sibling seemed to be aware of the silent war brewing under their noses. Especially now, since the Charming siblings had gone back to their home kingdom with an injured Tiffany Muffet, and Daring Charming, plus each one having their own personal emotional hurts that they now had to work on healing.

"Oh." Faybelle blushed, finally realizing what her cousin meant. "Well that does explain a lot, now that you've put it into that context..."

"Um Hmm." The witch hummed, reclining back until she was on her back looking at the clouds moving lazily across the blue sky.

"I… Just wanted to hold something alive ya know?" The fairy spoke quietly after a long silence.

"Yeah." Charlotte breathed, her tone sincere. "Yeah, I know that feeling, been feeling that _a lot_ lately."

"She's got a living flesh and blood body now, and she's got no memory of the scary things that happened." Faybelle murmured in awe, gingerly putting Cedar's head back into her lap.

"Why does this knowledge make me more happy than jealous?" The fairy demanded looking to the sky. "I know me, I know how I work, I should be feeling… not resentful but at least exasperated, so why do I want to smile when I think about freaking Cedar Wood escaping the memories of that horror, or that witchling of Raven's, why do I find joy that she was born? I barely know the brat, not that she's been around long enough to get to know, and I'm irritated at her human mother for stealing away such a profitable potential wife, and yet I find myself sending them a list of all the fairy girl names that I can think of first chance I get! This is just not like me!"

"Because you are supposed to be the Evil Fairy who gets cranky at the slightest thing, like not being invited to a baby's party?" Charlotte asked dryly.

"They've already given me an unofficial invitation to her witch-naming ceremony!" Faybelle growled a blush painting her cheeks. "They need two qualified magic-users to preform the ritual and apparently Briar has mentioned that as a Thorn I'm qualified to preform these kind of rituals, and so now they're asking for me to help preform the damn thing!" The fairy cried sounding exasperated.

Charlotte eyed her cousin. "Speaking of you preforming rituals, Raven called me earlier to ask me if you are still interested in taking over the Evil Queen role. Even though Apple White's technically already lived her fairytale and the Book of Legends has mysteriously disappeared after the defeat of the dreaded Great Evil, they've been talking about doing a reenactment of sorts, granted it'll be far tamer and much more boring since they've had it with actual poisons and they want to turn the whole story thing into something that resembles more of a witch's ritual. Think something like the GreenWitch ritual, only you three playing the _pretend_ parts as the princess, prince, and the Evil Queen."

Faybelle snapped her head around to stare at her cousin. "_What?_" She asked hoarsely.

"Raven feels… a little cheated that her mother's actions had spoiled the fun and honor that used to come with the responsibility of being the Evil Queen, so now that she's freed from the dishonor and the responsibility she wants to form a new tradition to honor the ancestors of her and Apple's family, to teach their witchlings not to feel disgraced by the actions of one Evil Queen." Charlotte explained.

"Why would she want me involved in this?" Faybelle asked her eyes as wide as they could go.

"I asked the same thing and Raven said that it's partially because when she had originally proposed this idea to her wife she figured that she could play both the Evil Queen and the prince roles, ironically it was Apple who said no to that because Apple now _despises_ the thought of _anybody_ in her family playing the part of the Evil Queen, even for this theoretical tamed down ritualized version. So Raven figured that since she had already given up the role to you, if you wanted to participate in this family tradition they are trying to start then the right to the Evil Queen title was still yours… and Apple White will only allow it if it is she who gets to play the prince and thwart your pretend plans." Charlotte snickered remembering how the princess could be heard in the background of that call mumbling unkind things under her breath about Faybelle.

Said fairy continued to stare at her wide-eyed.

Charlotte shrugged. "Hey her father _is_ a Prince Charming, it makes sense."

Faybelle looked away quickly but not before Charlotte caught the expression that formed on her cousin's face.

"Looks like living in a world free from fairytales and evil crazed people has given the grouchy Evil Fairy a reason to feel hope." The witch observed.

"Shut up silly cousin." Faybelle couldn't quite get the sound of her smile out of her voice.

XXX

Raven stared at the large hedge labyrinth from her childhood bedroom balcony, wearing her new royal robes cut in the style that resembled a long sleeved kimono with elaborate designs of silver Bleeding Rebel Hearts and golden apple branches with their fruit woven onto the lavender purple fabric. Her long hair was styled up and held together with long silver hair sticks and golden-knotted charms that framed her lightly painted face artistically. Apprehensive butterflies fluttering in her stomach as she stared at the structure of the greenhouse-mausoleum standing tall in the center of the flowering hedges.

She touched one of her visible scars self-consciously, Lizzie had convinced her to have her dress tailored in such a way that her shoulders and upper back would be visible, exposing enough of the reddened lines of healed skin to make a glaring point to all those who would be watching the sentencing later that day.

Lizzie had advised Raven that she had to show to the other realms that she meant business with her decision, for the former Headmaster's safety the witch had to convince practically everyone that she had very good reason and rights to be the one to hand down this punishment.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Apple asked quietly, coming up to the witch and hugging Raven from behind, the princess pressing her lips to the gnarled scar at the base of Raven's neck.

"I'm half tempted to ask you to do just that." Raven sighed, leaning into the embrace. "I want answers but I'm apprehensive about what they may be… and I can't keep putting this off, he doesn't deserve to wait any longer."

"Well it's not like you've been dragging your feet." Apple defended. "It's only been a few days ago since the Wonderlandian healers have deemed us able to leave their care and we were certain that our little one was old enough to travel. Hex, _we've _barely had time to ourselves since we've arrived here."

Raven smiled slightly. "And now that things have settled a bit, how are you faring?"

"Your home is beautiful." Apple assured nuzzling Raven's neck. "And blessedly quiet, it's nice having some privacy after spending the past couple of weeks under observation."

Raven hummed in agreement, though she had mixed feelings on the matter, while it had been nice to wake up next to the princess without there being a nurse, her grandmothers, or one of their parents hovering in the background; Raven had also felt immensely grateful when there was someone there to help out when the infant decided to wake up loudly in the middle of the night and neither Apple nor Raven could figure out for the life of them what was the matter.

"_Sometimes the little ones need to just cry, or in your little one's case yowl themselves out. She needs to exorcise those tiny lungs, you did the same as a babe', though you also yowled and growled as well as cried, spooked your father it did, the first few times before Sasha decided to tell 'im that was normal for witches_." Raven's grandmother had told them the first difficult night when both Apple and herself were petrified that they had done something wrong.

"It had been nice to sleep in this morning." Raven relented turning her head to peer longingly at the large bed that had been newly installed to accommodate the new addition of the princess as her wife. Apple had called in one of the Ladies from her kingdom to become their official live-in nanny and while Raven had been hesitant at first (her father never needed a nanny to take care of her), she soon found that the shy young maiden, named Samantha, that had moved into the Pendragon estate a day after they had was proving herself not only capable but invaluable. Samantha had uncharacteristically declared that morning that she was taking care of their growling witchling for the entire duration of the former Headmaster Grimm's trial so that a certain princess and her witchy-princely-queen could focus fully on the serious matter at hand.

"Do you think he'd want to see her?" Raven asked turning slightly in Apple's arms so that she could both lean her head on the other's shoulder and stare in the direction to the nursery, which was adjacent to their room (as was commonplace in old castles such as Pendragon, traditionally, the Lady's chambers had a nursery where their child and nanny would stay, and then once the child was old enough they and their nanny would get their own rooms. Raven's father was one of ones who broke tradition and moved into a Lady's chamber so that he could take care of Raven when she was a witchling himself). She noticed that the princess had put on one of her official dresses for the occasion, it looked similar to the one she had on from Legacy Day.

"If he's a decent person he would." Apple almost growled as she placed a kiss to Raven's temple. "Just don't get your hopes up until after he answers your questions, you're already doing him enough favors by sparing his life and giving him a place to live out the remaining of his days, hand down his punishment, inform him of his rights, and _then_ let him show his true colors. After that… we shall see."

"K." Raven murmured taking a deep breath. "Guess it's now or never."

"Daring and I will be right outside with Giles if you need us for anything." Apple promised gently kissing the tip of Raven's nose.

"Thank you." Raven whispered with a brave smile. "Love you."

Apple grinned. "Love you too."


	34. The beginning of a new chapter

Author's note (halleluiah this is the last one!):

Finally! I have finished this! Feel free to celebrate with me!

I think that for the next while I'll just focus on drabbles and one-shots, I've polished up my writing style, next I'll work on writing shorter stories (nine hundred plus pages… holy frick!).

I hope you have enjoyed this story; I thank all of those loyal readers who have helpfully commented to me over the past few months, and I hope future readers will come to enjoy this as well.

I feel so accomplished finishing this novel length fanfiction story; it's a good feeling.

Anyway, here is the final part to The True Love Loophole.

Enjoy!

XXX

The beginning of a new chapter

XXX

The mausoleum was supposed to resemble the trunk of a tree, but to Raven it looked kind of like a giant thumb pointing up to the sky, something she and her father found immensely odd due to the fact that the ancestor who had designed the building had a father who hailed from a land where a thumbs up… was actually considered a rude gesture. The building had special blood protection talismans that only allowed either those of King blood or the most trusted outsiders initiated into the King family into the building, it was an elegant structure with glass ceilings and elaborate metal structures cut with glowing white magic to tell of the story King Arthur, from his humble beginnings to how he was injured from battle, and went with the Lady of the Lake in order to recover from his injuries and to one day return to rule again.

Wishful thinking, Raven knew that now but when she was a small, frightened child healing from her own wounds, she had spent much time in the family mausoleum, tracing her little fingers over the glowing words and hoping that the great King and theoretical ancestor to her father's family would return, protect her from the terrible things in the world and save her from the destiny she did not want.

It became her safe place, a deceptively delicate structure that had been reinforced with protective magics and prayers of love to her deceased ancestors for centuries.

For the first time in her life Raven hesitated before opening the door.

"I shouldn't be this nervous." The witch grumbled, her hand tightening on the large, decorative brass handle, and adjusting the lavender cashmere shawl covering her scars on her bare shoulders.

"It's perfectly fine to be nervous." Daring assured, coming up from Raven's left side, he practically shined in his official princely attire, even making his bandaged arm look naturally in place with his overall look. "You'll do fine, I've seen you stare down an entire crowed of fellow rulers and not back down, comparatively this is far less dangerous."

"And this time you'll have us both to back you, no matter the outcome." Apple promised from Raven's right placing her hand over the witch's on the door's handle.

Raven nodded at them both with a small brave smile and opened the door.

Giles stood up from his seat on the large steps of the first set of double staircases leading up to the next floor, the pattern repeating until it reached the ninth and final floor.

"You three look as pretty as a picture." Giles told them with a warm smile, the old man had traces of bags under his eyes from several sleepless nights but overall he seemed to be in good health and spirits.

"Thank you." Raven smiled nervously up at the man she had grown to trust before breaking down and taking a chance at hugging her newly acquired great-uncle.

Giles did not hesitate to hug the girl back a wide grin on his face.

"Is he… ready?" Raven asked after stepping back from the embrace.

Giles made a so-so gesture with his hand. "I was only able to get to the part where I told him his sentencing was today before he took my flying rug and retreated to the top floor, to await his guarded escort to your throne hall no doubt." The old man snorted. "For a cripple he can move deceptively fast."

Raven blinked. "He hasn't been told that I have no intention of hurting him?" She asked in concern.

"I think he is more worried about being shamed and shunned by his granddaughter." Giles told her honestly. "He may act all grouchy but on the inside my brother is nothing but a worry wart, it was difficult getting him to enjoy something that wasn't work on a good day back at the school, and now…"

Raven nodded walking past her uncle to stand in the center of an ornamental circle of her family's crest tiled onto the floor. "I'll go see him at once, Apple and Daring can debrief you on the specifics of my final punishment."

"How are you going to get up there in that dress?" Giles asked but his question was answered when Raven muttered a phrase and a magic energy platform emerged from the crest gently picking her up and carrying the witch to the top floor.

"It would have been nice knowing that little trick before!" Giles called with an amused smile, making Raven giggle.

Nostalgia overcame the witch as she looked at the funerary cubbies lining the walls (her father's family preferred to be cremated), only to be broken up with tall gothic windows, which only helped add to the brightness of the white marbled interior, it all flew by her field of vision as she was carried up and up.

If this wasn't a giant funeral house Raven could see this place being perfect as a converted library or stargazing laboratory.

The witch stepped quietly onto the top story landing; she wasn't wearing heels, just soft-soled slippers so her footfalls were almost too soft to hear as she trekked along the floor, looking for any sign of her estranged grandfather.

Raven paused looking around the large area with a small frown, there were several living quarters that her father had added after she had taken a liking to the place, knowing that she'd want to hide here should she need a reason to escape her destiny the old fashioned way.

The girl tapped her feet loudly onto the floor hoping that the sound would rouse the old man from his hiding place.

"Yes I am coming." A gruff voice sounded out from behind her, his tone defeated. "No need to drag me off I'll go peacefully- who are you?"

Milton Grimm blinked in surprise as the strange young woman turned around and turned out to be someone not so strange at all.

"Miss Queen?" He blinked at her bewilderedly for a few moments before remembering himself and looking away. "–Ah I suppose it's your highness now."

Raven gently shook her head. "My father is still on the throne and there is no need for such formalities when there are no prying eyes of the other realms watching." She spoke softly padding forward, the quiet rustle of the fabric of her cloths sounding defining in the following silence as she moved.

"Why are you here?" The man asked looking at her curiously, he did not understand why the witch was there, why she was bothering.

Raven smiled softly, apologetically. "To inform you of my decision, of what will transpire in my father's throne hall later today… and to ask you some questions."

Milton nodded grimly standing like a man ready for his execution.

Raven frowned a little, feeling worried at the sight of this broken shell of the stubborn Headmaster she had once known. The shadows under his eyes were long, and his bad leg was shaking slightly under the strain of his weight.

"Please sit down." She nearly begged; using her magic to pull forth one of the comfy wicker chairs that sat by a window. "This may take a while and you really should be resting your leg."

He seemed to hesitate before sitting down without complaint.

Raven pulled over a chair for herself and sat down across from the man, heavy silence descending between the two.

"How… how are you?" Raven asked tentatively, noticing to her distress that once the man sat down his coat flared out in a way that showed that he had lost weight far too quickly than what was healthy. "Have you been treated well? I know that Giles and my grandmother's lovers have ensured your safety but if there is anything else that you need for your health or peace of mind, if it's within the bounds of my ability I will get it for you."

He took his gaze off of the floor to stare at her for a long while. "Why did you come here, in person?"

"I wanted to explain what the _actual_ terms of my sentencing means without all of the carefully written malice designed to keep the other realms happy and off of your back. I want you to understand before hand that everything I'm going to say in the throne hall… it's not going to be that bad for you and my actual feelings toward you aren't at all malicious, but I have to make it seem that way to protect you." Raven told him holding his gaze. "And as I said before I have questions that only you can answer."

His brows furrowed. "Protect me? Your high- _Miss Queen_ I am a criminal. I have harmed many due to my actions."

"You were only trying to protect my mother from herself, we both know that legally you had every right to hide her away for her own protection as the Headmaster of Ever After High, and that what crimes you did commit were not nearly enough to warrant this violent backlash." Raven spoke, trying to get the man to understand. "Most of this is just about a bunch of angry people who are frustrated that the one they despise is dead and so they want to take it out on you."

"The students and staff under my care were all nearly killed!" Milton exclaimed his voice shaking. "My secretary was murdered, many students sustained injuries, and you were nearly-" He looked away, unwilling to face her.

"And now you are going to live the rest of your life in hiding and under the care of your granddaughter who has to pretend that she hates you when she actually doesn't." Raven told him firmly. "I'm not going to hold you responsible for the things that my mother, of her own free will, has done, you had tried to protect her, gave her someplace safe where she could not be harmed by her enemies, _she _is the one who was blind to just how lucky she was that you showed such mercy, and _she_ is the one who committed those crimes, the only thing that is keeping you from being a free man is the fact that you had tried keeping her close, so that you could watch over her."

Milton shook his head disbelieving.

"_She's_ the one that had done all of those horrible things, _not you_." Raven reiterated with slow emphasis on the mentions to her mother. "She has harmed us _both_, and I am not going to give the crazed evil creature we had witnessed that day the satisfaction in the knowledge that even though her grip on my life has been severed, her shadow has settled for you. I won't stand for that." The witch told him in a tone that dared him to argue, her eyes clear and steady as she tried to catch his gaze again.

He covered a hand over his mouth and stared at her, his eyebrows raised so high they appeared to be trying to reach his hairline.

"Where did this come from?" He asked carefully. "I haven't exactly made your life very easy, just the opposite in fact."

"You have never been a danger to me." Raven said with a shake of her head. "And my life was already difficult long before Legacy Day, certainly your attempts to get me to adhere to tradition were… underhanded, but I never feared or hated you. Annoyed at you yes, and I'll admit that I ended up taking everything you said with less than a half of a grain of salt, but I was far too busy counting my lucky stars that you hadn't tried to banish me or force me to sign the Book through harsher means, like I had heard being done in the past."

"You are young, I had hoped at first that my years of experience as a Grimm, and my constant convincing would eventually get you to see reason." Milton admitted guiltily. "When your resilience and revolution continued and grew however… I'll admit I had panicked, causing you much trouble."

"More trouble for you as time wore on." Raven pointed out nodding her head to the cane the man used to help him walk.

Milton nodded sheepishly then staring at her in contemplative silence. "What is my punishment?" He asked.

"Well the first part I suppose would be having to go through with this public sentencing." Raven took a deep breath, adjusting her shawl unconsciously. "Apple will officially strip you of your status as the Headmaster of Ever After High and the steward of the Book of Legends, which is just a formality considering that the school is in ruins and the Book has vanished without a trace. At the sentencing Daring, as my third party representation, will list out the realms that have banned you from their boarders the ones to be mentioned had either been cursed themselves or were the homelands of one of the students present at the battle of Ever After High. Your crimes, the ones that they have legally been able to pin you with, will be read by me and… I will be the one to read you your punishment."

The witch swallowed thickly almost running a hand through her hair but abruptly aborted the gesture, remembering that it had taken forever to get her hair all done up. "My official words have been carefully written to seem as harsh as possible, but as I have said before, in reality you will be taken care of, ultimately you will have a safe place to live out your days in a house arrest of sorts as an imprisoned servant to my family name and as an official caretaker to my family's deceased, your communication to the outside world will be limited, only a handful of chosen people will be allowed to visit you, essentially except for my family, ad your brother, you will eventually be forgotten."

Milton mulled over the girl's words, his brows furrowing in and up.

"That is far too lenient." He told her.

"I don't care." Raven countered bluntly. "I may be lenient in my punishment towards you but in the wider scope of the bigger picture anything worse than your imprisonment would be far too excessive; because you are now the target of so much malice your exact location will have to be kept a secret for your own protection, as far as the worlds will be concerned you will become a living ghost that haunts a graveyard somewhere and that very few people will visit to torment you for your supposed crimes, and I will have to keep up this farce of wanting nothing to do with you… isn't that more than enough to bear for a once free man? For someone who was just trying to protect a mad woman?"

Milton blinked slowly. "Farce you say… and by that you mean…?"

"I want to get to know my grandfather." Raven confessed her voice cracking slightly before she caught it and cleared her throat of the growing lump trying to stick inside. "Or at least protect you from being excessively punished just to sate the blood lust of others… whether you want anything to do with me or my daughter after this is completely your decision of course, but for what it's worth… on my end I… want to get to know the person who my grandmother loved so dearly she had given them her heart, and I want my daughter, and my future daughters to know their heritage both from the Grimm side and from the Queen side. You had _been_ _there_ in the days when there had been _honor_ to the title of Evil Queen, you can tell the stories better than anybody else."

Stories… why did it always lead back to that? Milton wondered what it was about the Queen family and their love of hearing stories. Elenore's love for the stories he would tell her were how this all began, it was his daughter's last request before she had slipped away from him, just after he had found out that he was a father…

And now his granddaughter, the only one left, was asking him to tell her a story.

About a week prior they had hidden Milton away in a mirror (of all the ironic places) while the Good King had a small memorial stone installed in honor of Elenore in one of the greenhouse rooms, her arm, the only existing remains that they knew of, had already been lovingly transported to the White family, a formal burial (one Milton would not be allowed to attend) would commence in the fall.

It was during that time, when the workers had been fitting the memorial stone, when Milton was in the mirror, and Giles stood guard inconspicuously as possible beside him, and no one was there to listen, was when Giles told him that he had, somehow, smuggled Clawstorm's body for a final rest inside the grave plot that would have been Milton's if he had kept his status as a Grimm and a Steward to the Book of Legends.

He had no use for the grave now, but Clawstorm's body would remain undisturbed in the quiet dark of the family tomb, his father's spirit will just have to accept the fact that the granddaughter whom he had done his utmost to turn away would be resting peacefully beside him, as Milton's daughter, as a child of a Grimm.

And despite his father's efforts, he now knew that Raven Queen (King? White?) was _his_ granddaughter and she knew Milton was her grandfather, wanted to give him a chance to be apart of her life, to make up for so much lost time.

"As boys Giles and I were taught how to wright in a certain handwriting style that imitated the handwriting of our founding ancestors, my father used to make us forego meals and playtime until we were able to match our written words identically to our ancestors, as his father had done and his father before that, it was family tradition for Grimm's to have similar handwriting with each other. Giles being Giles developed his own handwriting style as soon as he was old enough to get away with it… I, the dutiful one out of us, did not." Milton began noticing that Raven's expression turned to open pity and confusion.

Milton swallowed. "I'm telling you this because… as you have probably become aware, while your grandmother had been pregnant with your mother, she had sent me a letter informing me of her pregnancy… and received a letter back with what looked like my handwriting telling her… that I did not want to be associated with her or her child."

"The thing is; I had _never_ laid eyes on Elenore's letter, and if I did I would have _never_ abandoned her." Milton swore passionately. "Whatever you may think of me right now, at least know that I was and am not the kind of man who would have turned away from the woman I loved more than anything in this life." The man begged, hoping to at the very least fix this one wrong, the perception Milton's granddaughter had of him and Elenore.

Raven shook her head, her eyes wide and horrified. "But who had written…? It wasn't…" She searched her brain for reasonable culprits. "It wasn't your father was it?"

Milton nodded. "It was. Father didn't approve of my relationship with your grandmother from the very start, he wanted me to marry someone above my station, and so after I had finished university he arranged me to marry Lady Margret Hilliard, daughter of the Earl of Cabbage."

The witch before him made a face. "Ok, first; wasn't the Earl of Cabbage's family exposed for… ahem, _incestuous activities_, and the Earl himself… didn't he try to mate with himself in the middle of a royal function?"

Milton hummed, sounding suspiciously cheerful, shrugging his shoulders and nodding his head. "That had happened years after my father died and I broke this off with his daughter, my former potential father-in-law and his family had always been an odd bunch, to be honest I'm surprised he hadn't done something just as publically scandalous sooner. But he was an Earl and father was keen that I marry into the family."

"Your father was all for you marrying into that? For a_ Earl's title_? And yet he was against you marrying my grandmother, who was a _queen_, in title as well as in name, of a witch's state?" Raven asked incredulously.

"As you know, the Queen clan has never birthed a son, and by tradition no kings have ever been crowned, if a Queen had decided to marry." Milton pointed out. "My father wanted me, the good son, to have both a title and a chance to bear a son."

Raven shook her head as if to clear it, her eyes filled with pain for her great-grandfather's blatant bigotries. "That's it? That is why he did that to you, to my grandmother, a human title and a child born male? But the Queen's realm is a _Witch's State_, being the Queen's Consort and a Grimm on top of that would have been just as good if not better than a human king title, there's even a hall dedicated to the most beloved of Queen Consorts of the past, hospitals and schools are even named after them."

Milton reached forward to gently touch Raven's knee. "I know you know that there was more to it than that." He said, knowing that she could see his father's bad habit of racism a mile off in the undertones of his words.

Raven grabbed his hand and held it in a tight grip. "Unfortunately… yes, I think I do see." She whispered.

"I am… surprised that you are my granddaughter… but I find myself unopposed to the idea, to be honest I should have seen it coming; you seemed to have inherited my distinctive stubborn streak after all." Milton coughed awkwardly.

"Does this mean that you want to be apart of my life?" She perked up looking hopeful.

"As long as you want me to be in it." Milton promised squeezing his granddaughter's hand back.

Raven smiled, tears of relief gathering in the corners of her eyes.

"May I ask what your daughter, my great-granddaughter's name is?" Milton asked a light coming into his eyes and a hopeful lilt in his voice.

Raven looked at him sheepishly. "Well… about that…"

_Twenty six years later…_

"I'd been around over a full _month_ and they _still _hadn't named me?" The blonde witch yelped in outrage.

Milton chuckled into his tea.

"It's not _that_ funny grandfather." The girl- woman now (dear gods where had the years gone?) pouted at the old man.

"I must inform you otherwise my dear girl." Milton guffawed, doing his best to sober up a little. "Though to be fair, a lot had been going on and your parents did not want to just pick out any old name without some serious consideration."

"I still can't believe how close I came to be named Tatyana or LillyWyvern!" The blonde shook her head looking pained.

"Mister Croakington had supplied some odd naming suggestions." Milton mused. "I take it his wife was the one who named your cousins."

"If cousin Redfish was feisty enough to scare away all of her competition for uncle Hopper's hand in marriage then I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case." The woman giggled remembering her mothers' retellings of how gob smacked the frog prince had been when _he_ was the one who was being romantically sought after for once; the boy had made quite the unexpected impression on the visiting witches, many of them Raven's cousins, Redfish being one of the chief front runners for the boy's heart.

"Was that the day you named me?" The witch asked curiously, she knew that her great-grandfather had been the one to name her but this was the first time she had heard the full story from the man himself.

"I had always guiltily fantasized about having daughters with your great-grandmother, I had always liked the name Amelia, though I had not breathed a word of any of this to anyone until the day your mother had come for my sentencing." Milton confessed. "The first time I had seen you was a half hour after I had been convicted, and the moment I laid eyes on you I knew without a doubt that Amelia Elenore King-Queen-White was a name that would suit you to a T, and now all these years later I know that I had been very right."

Amelia grinned, her cheeks flushing at the old man's praise.

The witch perked up at a thought. "Did they ever find out what happened to the Book of Legends? I mean an artifact as powerful as that just doesn't disappear."

Milton smiled knowingly. "I have my theories, after all it would have had to take a lot of magic for the curse to turn into a cure that would burn out all of the other curses over the other realms and wipe out the Great Evil's magic, the power needed to make you possible had to have come from somewhere after all."

The woman's eyes widened. "I thought that it was the other way around." She said with a perplexed look. "What makes you think this is so?"

Milton bridged his hands and rested his head on them. "Well my first major clue was when you were able to understand words written in books with your magic before you had been taught how to read… and ever since then there have been numerous examples done by your very unique magical affinity throughout the years."

"So if you're right, being the first witch in history with the magical affinity over words and books wasn't just because of my mother's being released from their destiny and me being a descendant of a Grimm?" The woman asked holding up her hand where magic the color of candlelight surrounded the extremity, random words glowing at a higher intensity could be seen coming and going in the bit of the visible magic.

"I'd like to think that my Grimm blood had something to do with it." The man sniffed, but was smiling all the same. "Though I wouldn't be surprised if your great-grandmother had some hand in that as well, did you know that she is the only known magic-user ever to singlehandedly invent the mysterious magical technique to allow her spirit to remain on this plain for so long? And that was when her power had been reduced, she was quite the thing to see when she got her full powers back." The man boasted with pride, Milton found it amusing how experts were still scratching their heads over just how the witch had managed to do that much while in the throws of death, and no one has as of yet figured out how she had preformed the spell that had allowed her so much freedom while she had been a ghost.

Wonderland had been wise to proclaim Elenore "_the one who got even death to bow to her will_".

"Do you think that she would've liked me?" Amelia asked a little vulnerably, Elenore had always been this larger than life, almost mystical character while she had been growing up. It was more than a little daunting at times to imagine the well-spoken woman as her ancestor.

"She would have spoiled you rotten if she had been given the chance." Milton swore handing the woman another cookie to munch on. "And you have already done more than enough in your short life to have made her proud to be your great-grandmother." He assured softly looking off to something behind Amelia's shoulder. "A tangible part of her stayed with me when she had gone so I know this to be true."

Amelia turned her head on childish instinct to see what her relative was looking at, had always been looking at as far back as she could remember.

The ghostly, barley visible image of Elenore smirked playfully, disappearing like always before Amelia could spot her.

"Do you think that she is happy wherever the part of her that isn't with you is?" The woman asked giving the room behind her one more look before turning back to Milton.

"I have never worried about her happiness on the other side…" The old man assured, Elenore was just that kind of woman, the type who forged the situation to mold to her own liking.

"My father on the other hand… wherever he had ended up, may not be as at peace since she had arrived however…" Milton muttered, his suspicions being confirmed when the ghostly manifestation of Elenore's heart (a sort of ghostly impression of a ghost Milton figured since he had felt all but this small bit of Elenore fade away not long after Raven had let him hold Amelia for the first time) blinked into his field of vision just long enough to give him an impish shrug, wicked gleam shining in her eyes before disappearing for the time being.

Milton turned to the blonde witch. "I can say for certain that she would be proud of your decision to become the next Headmaster of Ever After High."

"It's not going to be easy but I'm willing to do my very best." Amelia promised.

"At least it should be a lot less eventful than in my time when there was Royals, Rebels, and evil world conquering villains to worry about." Milton assured.

Amelia giggled. "Well yes, I won't have to worry about that, but Brooke has let slip that I'll be dealing with things like auntie Cupid applying to be the next consumer sciences teacher, the Charming-Spider twins skipping a few grades to terrorize the rest of the school's populace with their genius, and a whole lot of other stuff that will surly drive my remaining sane staff to insanity."

Milton nodded not seeming very surprised; Amelia had always had this imaginary friend named Brooke Page, a supposed "narrator" who would slip hints about events that were happening miles away sometimes even what would transpire in the near future (he attributed her never growing out of it to a side effect of being born in the rift between Ever After and Wonderland, and her particular type of magic so he never really worried about it), and he had little trouble seeing her predictions coming true seeing as how many of his former students (they all seemed to be trouble makers at the time so it would only make sense that their children were going to be _worse_) were sending their prodigy to the rebuilt school.

"You already know that you can handle them, as for your staff… I'm sure they'll adapt… eventually." Milton assured.

"Thanks for the pep talk grandfather." Amelia said setting down her empty teacup and standing up. "I have to go now, but I promise to contact you the first available moment I get once I arrive." She swore hugging the old man and giving him a kiss to his temple.

"Oh I have a feeling you'll find the time even when you are at the height of busy school affairs." He predicted, already imagining her calmly holding a conversation with either him or her parents whilst complete pandemonium ensued in the background, and then calling him up completely panicked and paranoid because things had gotten far too quiet for her liking.

"She'll do just fine, wouldn't you agree Elenore darling?" Milton asked the air as he watched their great-granddaughter descend to the bottom floor of the mausoleum, a confident skip to her walk and the suspected sword of Excalibur strapped to her belt.

He felt a ghostly touch of agreement in his chest, could practically feel the presence of the witch's spirit behind him, resting her hands on his broad shoulders as she watched with him the next generation step forward to forge her own life story.

The End (This is just the beginning…)


End file.
